Haylie Roberts is a recent 2026 MSSW graduate who will be embarking on a Fulbright Fellowship in Cambodia where she will serve as an English teaching assistant to local schools. She has a strong interest in, and has conducted research on, food insecurity among older adults in Knoxville housing communities, and hopes to continue working with housing communities at the policy level in the future. Her future plans also entail obtaining a PhD in social work.
What made you interested in studying food insecurity in the Knoxville community?
Roberts: As I was working within the community to bring public health workshops to older adults under the Social Justice Innovation Initiative grant, access to fresh food and food scarcity were concerns that were brought up regularly by community members. When community members name a problem, I feel it is important to bring awareness to it and carry the burden alongside them.
What did you find in your study?
Roberts: Through my discussions with community members and analysis of the resources currently in place in Knoxville, I found that access to fresh produce and an overall sense of food security seem to be in decline from an already unsatisfactory baseline. In 2021, Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC) community needs assessment found that when asked what their top food needs were, 53.5% ranked affordable food and 46.7% ranked access to fresh fruits and vegetables as being within the top three. That same year, a Feeding America report found that over 48,000 Knox County residents were experiencing food insecurity, making up nearly 10 percent of the population.
In April 2025, WATE News reported that USDA budget cuts had resulted in a significant reduction in deliveries to Second Harvest Food Bank. With disruptions to local food bank resources, and federal disruptions to USDA deliveries and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), uncertainty around nutrition access is systemic.
After looking at the food insecurity issues in Knoxville, what do you think could be a solution?
Roberts: Many residents live in areas where it is difficult to access healthy, affordable food. In a 2024 Food Systems Report, United Way of Greater Knoxville pointed out that there are over 18 areas of Knoxville where low-income and limited access to affordable food intersect to create a food desert. Among those surveyed, transportation and affordability were the two main barriers to individuals meeting their nutrition needs.
One thing it is important to note here is that the necessary funding to provide robust resources to these communities and to end hunger amongst older adults is not nonexistent– rather, it is being withheld at the federal and state levels. Advocacy for increased funding at the local, state, and national level is essential for strengthening insufficient benefit programs, as well as local infrastructure that promotes accessible transportation and food access.
During my time in Knoxville, I witnessed the willingness of the community to come together and share aid. I encourage mutual aid groups and community gardens, as well as local institutions, to turn their attention to our neighbors within housing communities in Knoxville in order to help meet gaps in food access.
Having recently completed your MSSW, what was your favorite part of the program?
Roberts: The MSSW program is filled with faculty members and students who show up each day to their work with passion and dedication. It’s been an incredibly special experience to learn from and collaborate with them. I hope to carry with me all that I have learned as I go forward in my social work career.