Addressing Hunger in Grundy County, Tennessee — From the Ground Up

A Participatory Action Research (PAR) project to create a community-owned food systems map

Together for Hope is offering a matching gift of up to $2,500 to help fund this work, doubling the impact of your donation.

This project addresses persistent food insecurity by equipping the community with tools they requested—tools that use local knowledge to identify assets, gaps, and opportunities in the food system and support sustainable, community-led solutions.

This project:

Aligns directly with Together for Hope’s mission, philosophy, and priorities
Takes place in one of our Appalachia counties experiencing persistent poverty
Is led by trusted coalition partners and community leaders

The project is being led by Rē: The Regenerative School, in partnership with Growing Roots, Mountain T.O.P., and the Community Action Committee--Sewanee.

Ashlei Laing, Rē: The Regenerative School, Co-Founder/Executive Director, describes the goal this way:
“Addressing hunger by giving tools the community requested, to find the solutions they need, with their own knowledge and their own initiative.”

About the Project

During Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, members of the Growing Roots community have been researching and exploring ways to strengthen local, alternative, and solidarity-based food economies. These conversations highlighted a common concern: traditional research often extracts information from communities without leaving lasting benefit behind.

In response, the working team chose a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach.

PAR centers community ownership of knowledge. It ensures that:

Research is conducted with the community, not on the community
Multiple voices and lived experiences are valued
Findings belong to the people who generate them

The result will be a data-driven food systems map created by and for the community—a practical tool to understand local food access, assets, and gaps.

Why This Matters to Together for Hope

This project embodies Together for Hope’s asset-based philosophy and directly advances one of our Four Priorities of Hope.

The project was initiated by the community
The research will be conducted by community members
The findings will remain in community hands

Rather than extracting information, the PAR process builds local capacity—empowering residents to lead their own analysis and decide how the results are used. If the community chooses, the findings may later inform planning, collaboration, or advocacy related to food access and security.

The PAR model offers a constructive, nonpartisan, and inclusive starting point for addressing hunger—grounded in shared understanding and local leadership.

Your Impact

With your support—and the matching gift from Together for Hope—this project can strengthen long-term food resilience in Grundy County by placing knowledge, tools, and decision-making power where they belong: in the hands of the community—today and for the long term.

Learn More about our Partners

This work is rooted in long-standing, trusted community partnerships.

Rē: The Regenerative School
A community-centered learning organization focused on regeneration, justice, and participatory approaches to social and ecological challenges.
https://regenerativeschool.org/

Growing Roots
A Grundy County–based initiative working to strengthen local food systems, community resilience, and shared leadership.
https://growingrootstn.org/

Mountain T.O.P.
Serving rural Appalachia through home repair, community development, and relationship-based service for more than 50 years.
https://www.mountain-top.org/

Community Action Committee of Sewanee
Providing essential services and support to individuals and families in Grundy and surrounding counties.
https://www.cacsewanee.org/

Addressing Hunger in Grundy County, TN - From the Ground Up

A Participatory Action Research (PAR) project to create a community-owned food systems map