Turnip Truck Launches a Roundup Program Benefiting The Store

Walking through The Store — the choice-based grocery nonprofit founded by Kimberly Williams Paisley and her husband, Brad Paisley — customers see something familiar: brightly lit aisles, shelves stocked with food and a produce section filled with fresh fruits and vegetables.

But unlike a typical grocery store, this market offers something many people take for granted — the gift of dignity.

That dignity matters more than ever in Nashville. According to Metro Social Services, approximately 1 in 10 residents — up to 198,000 Nashvillians — has limited access to adequate food, a problem exacerbated by rising living costs and food deserts. And nearly 1 in 5 Nashville children faces food insecurity, meaning they don’t have enough nutritious food to eat.

Collen Mayer, CEO of The Store, speaks passionately about the organization’s mission and the families it serves. He recalls one customer caring for her mother, daughter and grandchildren — four generations under one roof — while living on a fixed income.

“It’s just incredible,” Mayer says. “If you can imagine, you’re on a fixed income and trying to take care of multiple generations. And her mom was in bad health, so she wanted to be able to give the best food to her mom.”

That customer has since become an advocate for The Store, Mayer says. With easier access to healthier food, she now enjoys more time with her family and feels empowered to help others.

Many people misunderstand food insecurity, Mayer explains. Providing choice-based shopping is essential. “Much of food insecurity is not just about the absence of food,” he says. “Food insecurity means people cannot get the types of food they need to stay healthy and well.”

While The Store aims to provide as many options for its customers as possible, it struggles to stock specialty foods, like vegan pastas and other items that support specific diets. When external pressures — like reduced SNAP benefits during November’s government shutdown — increase demand, it’s even harder to ensure Nashvillians have what they need.

Bridging the gap requires partners, like John Dyke, owner of Nashville favorite Turnip Truck Natural Market. 

“I opened Turnip Truck in early 2001 to serve my community,” Dyke says. Since then, he has created several programs to raise money for Nashvillians in need, including an initiative to rebuild the tree canopy after the March 2020 tornadoes.

When Dyke noticed that people needed help during November’s government shutdown, he and his team launched another fundraising program at Turnip Truck. The program allows customers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar at checkout. Dyke then uses those extra funds to source specialty items for The Store, expanding community access to healthier foods.

The program, now a few months old, has already shown promising results. “People are not getting roundup fatigue,” Dyke says. “People are actually excited about this program because it’s feeding the community and aligns with our mission — supporting the community and serving each other.”

Mayer says the partnership will help The Store bring more high-quality items to families experiencing food insecurity, helping them stock those specialty foods they struggled to afford and source before.

“I think we can all agree that hardworking families deserve to eat and deserve to have food on their tables,” Mayer says.