More than 350 non-profit agencies in 18 counties in East Tennessee receive much of their food from Second Harvest Food Bank. These agencies provide emergency food assistance in the form of bags or boxes of groceries to take home, or hot meals served in a soup kitchen or group home.

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee was started in 1982 when some concerned community citizens heard about a new concept called food banking.

During the first year of operation, Second Harvest, then called SHARE, distributed approximately 120,000 pounds to less than 30 human service agencies in Knox County. Last fiscal year, we distributed over 6.2 million pounds of food to over 350 agencies in 18 counties.

In 1992, a prepared and perishable program was started, called Knoxville Harvest. This program is designed to collect surplus food from local restaurants, grocery stores, produce markets, cafeterias, and caterers. The food is picked up by volunteers using a refrigerated truck and delivered the same day to one of our many area soup kitchens or group homes. Last fiscal year, this program handled over 600,000 pounds of food that would have otherwise gone in the trash.

In 1999, Kids Cafe was adopted by Second Harvest and several sites were launched. This program is a national feeding program aimed at children 17 and under who are considered "at risk". Kids Cafe seeks to feed children at risk of hunger, provide nutrition education to needy children, and educate the public about the perils of childhood hunger. Currently, 18 sites are in operation.

What's going on?

How can YOU get involved?

Contact info:
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee
922 Delaware Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37921

Phone: 521 - 0000
www.secondharvestknox.org