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HelpByState

McMinn County, Tennessee

Free help in McMinn County, Tennessee

Find a food pantry open this week
Free help from local charities, food banks, and state and federal programs. Free to use, no sign-up. Every listing shows the day we checked it.

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Real help, from real placesFood banks, charities, churches, and state and federal programs near you.
Checked for youEach listing shows the day we checked it, so you do not drive to a closed door.

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Open now
Checking what is open today
20confirmed listings
5towns covered
8food pantries and meal programs
October 9last checked

This week

Food this week in McMinn County

Pick a day to see which pantries are open and when. Times come from each pantry's confirmed schedule. Tap Call to reach them.

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What is close to you

Tap a numbered circle to zoom in. Pins are for orientation only: trust the address on each card.

BRADLEYLOUDONMEIGSMONROEPOLKROANE MCMINN COUNTY Watts Bar Lake AthensEtowahNiotaEnglewoodCalhoun
Tennessee
20 places

    Some safety programs do not share an address, so they are not on the map. They are listed under Safety below.

    Food pantries and meals8

    Athens

    Better Living Center

    Food pantry, a Chattanooga Area Food Bank partner.

    Hours
    Tuesday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
    Address
    407 New Englewood Rd, Athens, TN 37303

    Call first. Hours come from the Chattanooga Area Food Bank map. Please call to confirm before you go.

    Athens

    Coordinated Charities

    Food pantry, a Chattanooga Area Food Bank partner.

    Hours
    Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM
    Address
    109 Rocky Mt Rd, Athens, TN 37303

    Call first. Hours come from the Chattanooga Area Food Bank map. Please call to confirm before you go.

    Englewood

    Daily Bread Food Ministry

    Food pantry, a Chattanooga Area Food Bank partner.

    Hours
    Wednesday, 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
    Address
    102 S Niota Rd, Englewood, TN 37329

    Call first. Hours come from the Chattanooga Area Food Bank map. Please call to confirm before you go.

    Athens

    McMinn Co Mobile Pantry

    Food pantry, a Chattanooga Area Food Bank partner. Must be a TN resident TN TEFAP eligibility criteria.

    Hours
    Please call for hours
    Address
    Check Monthly for Distribution Location, Athens, TN 37303

    Call first. Hours come from the Chattanooga Area Food Bank map. Please call to confirm before you go.

    Sweetwater

    New Bethany Food Pantry

    Food pantry, a Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee partner.

    Hours
    5 to 7 PM every 4th Wednesday of the month
    Address
    653 Co Rd 350, Sweetwater, TN 37874

    Call first. Hours come from the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee's own list. Please call to confirm before you go.

    Checked October 9, 2026. Source: Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee pantry map.Suggest an update

    Utility bills and rent help1

    Countywide

    Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency

    Community action agency: help paying light and gas bills (LIHEAP), and, when funds allow, emergency rent help and other family programs. Call to ask what help is open now.

    Hours
    Please call for hours

    Call first. Hours are not listed. Call first to ask what help is open now and what to bring.

    Checked October 9, 2026. Source: THDA LIHEAP agency contacts (2026).Suggest an update

    Housing2

    Athens

    Athens Housing Authority

    Public housing (low-rent apartments) for low-income families, older adults and people with disabilities.

    Hours
    Please call for hours
    Address
    199 Clark St, Athens, TN 37303

    Call first. Office hours are not published. Call to ask about openings and the waiting list.

    Etowah

    Etowah Housing Authority

    Public housing apartments and Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) for low-income families, older adults and people with disabilities.

    Hours
    Please call for hours
    Address
    400 Sunset Dr, Etowah, TN 37331

    Call first. Office hours are not published. Call to ask about openings and the waiting list.

    Health and dental1

    Englewood

    CHS Englewood Clinic

    Community health center run by Cherokee Health Systems. It sees patients with or without insurance and, as a federally funded health center, must offer discounts based on income.

    Hours
    Please call for hours
    Address
    3360 Highway 411 N, Englewood, TN 37329

    Call first. Hours are not published on an official page we could check. Call first.

    Recovery and mental health help2

    Statewide

    988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

    Call or text 988 to reach a trained crisis counselor any time, for a mental health crisis, thoughts of suicide or a substance use crisis. It is free and confidential. Veterans can press 1.

    Hours
    24 hours a day, 7 days a week

    Veterans services2

    Statewide

    Veterans Crisis Line

    Dial 988, then press 1. Or text 838255, or chat at veteranscrisisline.net. Free and confidential. You do not need to be enrolled in VA health care.

    Hours
    Open 24 hours a day, every day
    Statewide

    VA national phone lines

    VA benefits: 800-827-1000. VA health benefits: 877-222-8387. Homeless veterans, open 24 hours: 877-424-3838. MyVA411, the main VA line, open 24 hours: 800-698-2411.

    Hours
    Benefits line, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Eastern

    Safety and crisis help1

    Statewide

    National Domestic Violence Hotline

    Free, confidential help for anyone hurt or threatened by a partner or family member: safety planning, shelter referrals and someone to talk to. Call 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or chat at TheHotline.org. In an emergency, call 911.

    Hours
    24 hours a day, 7 days a week

    Government offices2

    How HelpByState works

    Checked, dated and corrected by neighbors

    1. 1

      Matched to the source

      A listing goes up only after its phone and its address or hours match the organization's own page, or an official list.

    2. 2

      Dated on every card

      Each card shows the day we checked it. If sources disagree, we say call first instead of guessing.

    3. 3

      Fixed by the community

      See something wrong, or know a place we missed? Send it in. Nothing changes until we have checked it.

    Neighbors helping neighbors

    Help is closer than you think in McMinn County

    A volunteer hands a bag of fresh groceries to a mother holding her daughter's hand
    Free groceriesFood banks and pantries give food to anyone who needs it.
    A helper smiles as she helps an older man fill out a form
    Someone to help you applyState offices and local programs help with food stamps, bills and more.
    Kids laughing together over a free meal with a grandmother at a community center
    Meals and care for kidsFree meals, clinics and family programs, close to home.

    Questions people ask

    Where can I get free food in McMinn County, Tennessee?

    We have confirmed 8 places that can help in McMinn County: Better Living Center in Athens (Tuesday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM), (423) 744-7325, call first; Coordinated Charities in Athens (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM), (423) 745-9625, call first; Love Thy Neighbor Project at Tennessee Wesleyan University in Athens (Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM), (423) 746-5239, call first. 5 more are listed on this page. Please call first to confirm the ones marked call first. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Where can I get help paying rent or a utility bill in McMinn County, Tennessee?

    We have confirmed one place that can help in McMinn County: Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency, (423) 949-2191. Please call first to confirm. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Where can I get housing help in McMinn County, Tennessee?

    We have confirmed 2 places that can help in McMinn County: Athens Housing Authority, (423) 745-0341, call first; Etowah Housing Authority, (423) 263-2674, call first. Please call first to confirm the ones marked call first. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Where can I find a free or low-cost clinic in McMinn County, Tennessee?

    We have confirmed one place that can help in McMinn County: CHS Englewood Clinic, (423) 887-5131. Please call first to confirm. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Where can I get help with addiction or mental health in McMinn County, Tennessee?

    We have confirmed 2 places that can help in McMinn County: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), 988; SAMHSA National Helpline (Open 24 hours a day, every day), (800) 662-4357. If you are in crisis right now, call or text 988. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Where can I get help with veterans benefits in McMinn County, Tennessee?

    We have confirmed 2 places that can help in McMinn County: Veterans Crisis Line (Open 24 hours a day, every day), 988; VA national phone lines (Benefits line, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Eastern), (800) 827-1000. A veteran in crisis can call 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

    Where can I get free legal help in McMinn County, Tennessee?

    We have confirmed one place that can help in McMinn County: Legal Aid of East Tennessee, (865) 637-0484. Please call first to confirm. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Is HelpByState free to use?

    Yes. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to pay. Every listing is free, and so is adding or correcting one.

    Why do some listings say call first?

    Church and community pantries often change days, move, or close for a holiday. When the sources we checked disagree, or an organization does not publish its hours, we say so instead of guessing. A quick call saves a trip.

    I run a pantry or a program. How do I get listed or fix our hours?

    Use the Add a listing or Suggest an update form. We confirm it against your own page or contact you, then change the listing. It is free.

    Is this the same as 2-1-1?

    No. 2-1-1 is a statewide phone line and database run by the state network. HelpByState is an independent, county-by-county directory that shows the date each listing was checked. If you want to talk to a person, dial 2-1-1.

    Where do the hours and phone numbers come from?

    From each organization's own website or page, official sources such as housing authority and WIC clinic lists, and the public Find Food maps of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee pantry map. We list the source on every card.

    Something missing, or out of date?

    If you run a pantry or program, or you saw a listing that is wrong, tell us. We check every message against the organization's own page before anything changes.