Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee

Do you know where your food comes from? Read our latest blog featuring what Second Harvest learned, saw, heard, and even tasted while visiting 4 Tennessee farms by heading to https://lnkd.in/ephtikpx. With sustainability as a priority, we strive to support our farmers while providing food for our East Tennessee neighbors experiencing food insecurity.

National Estate Planning Awareness Week is October 21st - 27th, and it’s the perfect time to answer important questions, such as who you want to be a guardian for your children or pets and what causes you want to support in your legacy. We partner with FreeWill to help you protect the people and causes you love at no cost: https://lnkd.in/eu2u4s9b

Thanks in part to CNS Y-12 National Security Complex's support through the East Tennessee Foundation, we served more than 15,900 people last year through our Food for Kids and Senior Outreach programs in their service area, which includes 17 of our 18 counties. We are incredibly grateful for these partnerships and these organizations' commitment towards our mission to fight hunger and feed hope. Thank you!

Thanks to YOUR donations, along with the generous help of volunteers, we did more than just "fill the truck" yesterday — we filled SIX. Six truckloads, totaling more than 143,000 pounds of water, food, and supplies, are on their way out for Hurricane Helene relief efforts. In addition, the virtual food has already led to over 100,000 meals, and you can still donate at https://lnkd.in/e3uUqs3f. We are so grateful to Morgan Wallen Foundation for this partnership that will make a huge difference for our neighbors recovering from the storm. Thank you to Morgan Wallen, Theo Von, Morgan's band "The Mechanics," 14 University of Tennessee baseball players (along with Head Coach Tony Vitello), WIVK 107.7, and WBIR-TV for being on-site, drawing attention to what's needed: Help After Helene. We'd like to shoutout a few others that helped make this hunger relief drive impactful: West Town Mall, for hosting us, Puleo’s Pizzeria - Kingston Pike, for donating pizza to our staff/volunteers, RoseWood Virtual Tours, for donating drone footage services, Krystal, for donating burgers to our staff/volunteers, and East Tennessee Portables for donating portable toilets. Thank you!

Help After Helene UPDATE: Second Harvest has heard from Cocke Country officials that critical recovery needs now include cleaning supplies and baby food, in addition to bottled water. The food bank will continue to communicate priority needs to the community as they evolve. Please continue bringing your donations to our warehouse in Maryville where they will be sorted, organized, and sent based on the priorities communicated to us by Cocke County officials. Thank you for your support!

Many of you have asked how you can assist your East Tennessee neighbors affected by this weekend’s storms. Second Harvest of East Tennessee is coordinating with other emergency response groups to provide both short-term and long-term support for those affected by Helene. The most pressing emergency need is water for our neighbors in Cocke and Sevier counties. Second Harvest is accepting water drop-offs at our warehouse in Maryville for those looking to donate, at 136 Harvest Lane, Maryville, TN 37801. In addition, monetary donations will assist us in purchasing water and food. Contributions allow us the flexibility to respond to changing needs in the coming days and weeks: https://lnkd.in/eMvg_YU3. Your support is absolutely crucial to making a difference in our communities. If you are in need of food, click https://lnkd.in/eZGGHuQE?to view our partner agencies nearest to you. Together, we are a stronger community. Knox County City of Knoxville WBIR-TV WATE 6 On Your Side WVLT, WBXX Knox County Rescue

Brought to you by Cindy Doyle, your good neighbor State Farm Agent, today's #HungerActionMonth message features Words from our neighbors utilizing Good EaTN Cooking Club, a cooking class offered through our Nutrition Access program specifically designed for kids or kids & their adults. Emphasizing creativity and food exploration, Good EaTN Cooking Club aims to provide a safe environment to foster healthy relationships with food & cooking. GoodEaTN Cooking Club visits underserved/low-income schools as well as organizations providing after-school childcare & programming. To learn more this #HungerActionMonth, visit our website via the link tree in our bio or at https://lnkd.in/e6y2Fsys.

You’ve seen our cooking classes, but did you know they’re a part of our Nutrition Access program? In a #HungerActionMonth message brought to you by State Farm Agent Jason Breland, our Nutrition Access program aims to improve access to foods that align with our neighbors’ preferences, and nourish their physical, mental, & spiritual well-being. In addition to a variety of cooking classes catered to the needs of specific populations, our Nutrition Access team serves our neighbors through educational resources, community outreach, and agency partnerships.?This past year, our Nutrition Access program provided 19,893 meals. To learn more this #HungerActionMonth, visit our website via the link tree in our bio or at https://lnkd.in/e6y2Fsys.

Illicit Fundraising is NOT Second Harvest Food Bank Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee has been alerted to unauthorized individuals and/or groups soliciting donations using our name on street corners and at public locations. These parties may use buckets and display Second Harvest’s name but are NOT affiliated with our organization or our 670+ community partners. The Food Bank only conducts fundraising efforts through established partners and with permission from pre-approved locations. Second Harvest will never condone collection efforts that are unsafe. We urge the community to report solicitation scams to authorities and to offer support through our official channels via website, phone, or mail. Second Harvest asks the public to contact 865-521-0000 or [email protected] if there is a question of credibility.

Yesterday and today, we were joined by two groups of Publix Super Markets employees and leaders, who donated their time to volunteer through their Publix Serves program. Thank you for being Hunger Action Heroes this?#HungerActionMonth! Second Harvest is incredibly grateful to Publix for their financial coverage of our co-branded truck purchase, specifically designated for use at our mobile pantries. Publix will also be contributing additional produce and dry goods to be transported in this truck for mobile pantries once it's in service. These generous efforts from Publix are part of their increased support of food banks since the pandemic. Thank you!