Throughout the month of November, Chattanooga Zoo is collecting food at their ticket booth that will be donated to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.
Zoo guests are encouraged to bring at least one non-perishable food item per person in order to receive a discount of $1 on each general admission Zoo ticket. The discount does not apply to tickets for special events like the Asian Lantern Festival.
“We know that the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, as well as many other similar organizations, are rising to the challenge and meeting a very large need in our community right now,” said Darde Long, president and CEO of Chattanooga Zoo. “We are hosting food drives with our visitors and our employees to help provide additional resources for those in need.”
Chattanooga Zoo is following the food bank’s guidelines by asking for non-perishable food items like peanut butter, canned proteins, canned fruit, cereals, oatmeal, boxed dinners, jams, soup (low sodium preferred) and canned vegetables (low sodium preferred).
Other groups like La Paz are also recommending donations of allergen-free baby food and corn flour. People simply need to bring food items to Chattanooga Zoo’s ticket booth in order to receive their discounted tickets, and Zoo personnel will transport the donations to the food bank.
Chattanooga Zoo also participates in the nationwide Museums for All program which helps increase the Zoo’s accessibility by providing discounted admission to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. The program applies to Zoo general admission only, not special event tickets, and provides a reduced rate of $5 per ticket for adults and seniors and $2 per ticket for children ages 3-12.
Chattanooga Zoo also offers annual memberships for SNAP participants at a rate of $40 per year. The Zoo’s participation in Museums for All is uninterrupted by the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.
“At the Zoo, we create meaningful connections between people and animals from around the globe,” said Long. “We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience this connection, so accessibility is a huge part of our mission. In everything we do, we want to be an asset to our entire community.”
Chattanooga Zoo is located at 301 N. Holtzclaw Avenue. The 14-acre facility is home to over 150 different species of animals from around the world, many of which are endangered or critically endangered.
To learn more about Chattanooga Zoo, visit chattzoo.org.