The Food Bank began its 5th annual Student Food Drive on October 2, 2012 with a Kick-Off Party for participating students.
Students and Advisors from area high schools have signed up to hold food drives and help raise food to feed people in the region with a food drive that runs from October 2 to November 8. High school students challenge each other to participate in this challenge to receive cash awards based on school population and the amount of pounds of food collected per student.
The Student Food Drive accomplishes two goals – to participate in the immediate effort of collecting food and donating it to the Food Bank; and, to encourage young people to either start or enhance their commitment to volunteer service. The Food Drive develops student leadership by challenging them to raise food, collect money to purchase food, and then find a way to deliver the food to the Food Bank. Last year over 38,000 pounds of food was collected by high school students in the region.
Supporters of the Food Bank are encouraged to support their local school’s efforts. All high schools in the eight-county region that still wish to participate are encouraged to contact the Food Bank at (423)477-4053, x. 224 or donatefood@netfoodbank.org to sign up.
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LOCAL LETTER CARRIER’S FOOD DRIVE A HUGE SUCCESS!!
On Saturday, May 12, The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) held their Annual Food Drive called “Stamp Out Hunger”. Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee sincerely appreciates the outpouring of support received from the Northeast Tennessee community during the 2012 NALC Food Drive.
Over 100,000 pounds of food was collected during the food drive to help feed people in need in our region. The Food Bank thanks everyone who made a donation to the Food Drive.
We also want to thank the following groups who made the food drive a success:
- AARP for supplying bags and helping promote the food drive
- Local letter carriers for delivering cards and bags before the drive and collecting the food during their regular mail deliveries, and
- The great volunteers who helped collect the food.
Tags: ;letter carrier's food drive, Food Bank, nalc food drive, Second Harvest, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee
Vote Now to Fight Hunger
FINAL day to Vote. We need your school, college, corporation to do this by 11 p.m. TONIGHT! We’re in 2nd place, we need your vote to win! (on Apple products get ‘Atomic Lite’ Free App to Vote) https://apps.facebook.com/walmartfighthunger/profile/1961?src=share
Tags: aiding families with food in johnson city, apple iPad, donate food donations, ending hunger, ending hunger in east tn, feeding america, food assistance, Food Bank, helping out the needy families, hunger relief organizations, raising 1 million dollars, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, Walmart campaign, win Apple iPad, win zac brown tickets
Little Girl with a Meal
Folks, we’re about to loose our lead, other communities are making a HUGE move. They’ve gained thousands of votes yesterday. This $1,000,000 would go so far to help our region to help the 93,000 people living in poverty in our Northeast Tennessee Region. It doesn’t cost anything to help in this campaign only a few minutes of your time to vote on facebook. Won’t you please vote for the next four days!
Please vote for Johnson City (it’s really the whole region) by clicking the highlighted link below (Facebook). Please click the link below to help now:
Our mission is to feed the hungry by securing and distributing food and grocery products to non-profit agencies that provide services to the needy in the eight-county region of Northeast Tennessee.
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While food insecurity is a formidable public health challenge throughout the nation, one group that is particularly vulnerable is older Americans. According to our parent organization, Feeding America, 3 million older Americans are served by partner Food Banks. This problem becomes complex in that as older Americans age, they need to give more consideration to their health and medical needs. This type of focus can easily become compromised if there is not enough food to eat or if there are not any funds available to purchase the most appropriate foods.
And, this problem is amplified in southern states and rural areas. For example, a study that focused on the experience of food insecurity among older Americans found that food insecure seniors sometimes had enough money to purchase food but did not have the resources to access or prepare the food due to lack of transportation, functional limitations, and/or health problems.
AARP and the AARP Foundation have focused attention to this serious challenge by developing the “Drive to End Hunger.” In a partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast TN and Feeding America-Southwest VA, the “Drive to End Hunger” is an effort to raise food and funds for local Food Banks and help those in need of food assistance. Four-time NASCAR® Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon drives the “Drive to End Hunger” car in the upcoming races at Bristol Motor Speedway!
Food and fund donations for the “Drive to End Hunger” can be made at local Food City Grocery Stores. Food Bank barrels are prominently located at the stores, and the donation vouchers are in amounts of $1,$3, and $, and they will be conveniently added to your store total.
For more information about how you can “leave hunger in the dust,” please click on one of the links:
www.netfoodbank.org
www.faswva.org
www.drivetoendhunger.org
Tags: AARP, AARP Foundation, bms, bristol motor speedway, drive, drive to end hunger, food, Food Bank, food city, food city grocery, food insecurity, rural, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, senior hunger, seniors
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – aka “Food Stamps” – is an issue of debate, and as the 2012 elections develop, the program will continue to be under scrutiny.
For many individuals in need of food assistance, SNAP is a front-line of defense. Feeding America has developed a variety of resources to help educate the public about SNAP, its processes, and the recipients who utilize the program.
Please review the document entitled “SNAP Program Facts, Myths and Realities.”
Tags: 2012 elections, feeding america, food, food assistance, Food Bank, food stamp myths, Food Stamps, myths, SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Mobile Food Pantry
Jan 18, 2012 –
Northeast, TN – Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee announces they are the recipient of a $40,000 grant from Walmart State Giving to benefit the Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry program. This program provides assistance to people in communities that have little or no access to food. The Walmart State Giving Grant, along with a new truck donated recently from the American Idol Gives Back Foundation and Feeding America, enables the Food Bank to expand its Mobile Food Pantry program.
During Fiscal Year 2012, the Mobile Food Pantry made 170 distributions, giving out over 397,000 pounds of food. Currently the Mobile Food Pantry is serving 22 sites in Northeast Tennessee. By 2013 the Food Bank hopes to serve 45 sites per month with the Mobile Pantry. The Mobile Food Pantry began as a pilot project in October of 2009. Second Harvest’s extensive gap analysis has identified communities in every county of its service area where people may not have enough access to retail stores, food pantries, soup kitchens, and other resources, along with a significant proportion of individuals living at or below the poverty level. These communities are targeted for the expansion of the Mobile Food Pantry Program. The Food Bank also plans to add sites in the other counties, and will increase the amount and nutritional quality of food included in each box distributed.
Through the State Giving Program, the Walmart Foundation supports organizations with programs that align with their mission to create opportunities so people can live better. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s current focus is on hunger relief efforts in the U.S. in order to support the record 1 in 6 Americans who do not know where their next meal is coming from. Walmart’s network of more than 4,000 store and club locations provided more than $11.9 million in funding to state and local-level organizations last year.
In addition to the Walmart Foundation Grant, the Food Bank is pleased to announce that one of their agencies, New Victory Baptist Church Help Center, Jonesborough, TN was the recipient of one of twelve $10,000 grants awarded during Walmart’s “12 Days of Giving” Facebook campaign. New Victory was chosen from more than 5,400 nominations from Facebook users who shared photos and descriptions of the nonprofit’s impact on their local community.
Over 8 million pounds of food and grocery products were distributed by the Food Bank during 2011, enough for over 5 million meals. During 2011 food bank agencies and programs served over 36,000 individuals per month. The Food Bank encourages the community to get involved in helping feed the hungry in Northeast Tennessee. Ways to help include making a monetary donation, becoming a Food Bank agency, volunteering or holding a food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee. Visit the Food Bank’s website http://www.netfoodbank.org for more information.
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HEAT or EAT?
The need for food assistance increases during the winter months as many families and individuals struggle to make the choice between heating their homes and putting food on the table.
In a national study of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) recipients, 30% reported going without food for at least one day, 41% went without medical or dental care, 33% did not fill a prescription or took less than a full dose of their medication and 25% had someone in the home who became sick because the home was too cold. Source: The National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, 2009 National Energy Assistance Survey.
Over 200 partner agencies work with your local Food Bank to help ease this burden by providing food and groceries to people in need. Whether it is a can of food, an hour of your time, or a monetary donation, your support helps us fight hunger in Northeast Tennessee!
If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, contact the Food Bank or view our website for a list of partner agencies that can assist you. If you know someone in need of heating assistance, the local contact is the Upper East TN Human Development Agency (UETHDA).
Tags: food, food assistance, Food Bank, groceries, heat or eat, heating assistance, Second Harvest, Second Harvest Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee
Second Harvest is asking you (our great supporters/volunteers) to help us create a holiday wish list to fight hunger. Help us come up with a creative list by sharing your ideas with us.
Think big—what would you like to see happen for hunger relief in 2012? These questions might help get you started:
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What should Congress do to end hunger?
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What would be the biggest help for food banks?
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How cand YOU – individual Americans – make a difference?
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What should corporate America do to help?
These ideas may be the start of something big. Help Second Harvest start the New Year off right!
Thank you!
Tags: food, Food Bank, food policy, food relief, holiday wish list, hunger, hunger policy, hunger relief, Second Harvest, Second Harvest Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee
NBC’s “Rock Center with Brian Williams” reported on the struggle that many working families have in providing food for themselves. The families interviewed, along with 49 million Americans, are labeled as “hunger insecure,” meaning that in some way or fashion, it is becoming more difficult to maintain an adequate supply of food.
Watch the video and share your thoughts on this increasing trend facing working families nationwide and in Northeast Tennessee.
Tags: Brian Williams, Food Bank, Food Stamps, hunger, hunger in America, hunger insecure, hunger insecure video, hunger video, NBC, Rock Center, Rock Center with Brian Williams, Second Harvest, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, SNAP
Second Harvest Food Bank 