Turnip Truck & ‘The Store’ Are Rounding Up for Neighbors in Need
Turnip Truck is inviting customers to round up at checkout to support The Store and provide healthy, high-quality groceries for neighbors facing food insecurity in Middle Tennessee. Image: The Store
When a cashier asks, “Would you like to round up?” it may not feel like a big decision. It’s a few cents. Maybe a dollar. The kind of change that disappears into the bottom of a purse pocket or finds itself in your car cup holders. But that small decision at the register can help place healthy, high-quality food on the tables of our neighbors across Middle Tennessee.
Turnip Truck Natural Market is partnering with The Store, the choice-based food assistance program founded by Country Artist Brad Paisley and Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, to fight hunger in a way that aligns with our city’s “Nashville Strong” mentality: local businesses linking arms for the good of the community.
At all four Turnip Truck locations (East Nashville, West Nashville, The Gulch, and Midtown), you’re invited to round up your purchases to support The Store’s shelves.
For John Dyke, founder and owner of Turnip Truck, the alignment feels natural. “For 25 years, Turnip Truck has existed to nourish and serve our community,” he says. “We are delighted to help The Store end hunger and foster hope, one bag of groceries at a time.”
Founded in 2001, Turnip Truck has grown into Nashville’s only locally owned, full-service grocery store. Walk through its doors, and you’ll find local produce, natural and organic staples, and familiar neighborhood faces.
That same spirit defines The Store.
Unlike a traditional food pantry, The Store operates as a free grocery market where individuals and families are referred by more than 50 partner agencies. Customers shop in a welcoming space that mirrors a neighborhood store, selecting the items their households need most. The model is intentionally designed to protect dignity and foster hope.
Today, with food insecurity at a 10-year high in Middle Tennessee, that mission feels more urgent than ever. The Store regularly serves more than 1,400 households with bi-weekly shopping. It recently opened a second location in partnership with TriStar Centennial Medical Center to reach even more families. Because the organization purchases approximately 90 percent of its food to maintain consistent quality and inventory, financial support directly translates into meals.
The numbers are striking; just $1.49 provides one meal. Forty-five dollars can feed an individual or senior citizen for a month. Eighty-five dollars feeds a family for a month.
And … drumroll, please … One thousand dollars can feed a family for an entire year. Talk about a huge impact!
Through this round-up initiative, Turnip Truck will use all funds raised to procure high-quality foods at grocer’s cost for The Store, maximizing the impact of every donation. In short, a local grocer is leveraging its buying power so that spare change stretches further.
It’s a simple invitation. So, the next time you are picking up produce for dinner or stocking up on pantry staples, consider rounding up. Your change can make a big change in the lives of people in need, nourishing your neighbors — and your soul.
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Editorial Operations Manager and Lead Content Editor. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.