• ABOUT
• MISSION AND HISTORY
• BOARD OF DIRECTORS
• TESTIMONIALS
• ANNUAL REPORT
• SERVICE AREA (MAP)
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• - FINANCIAL
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Mission and History

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee opened its doors in 1978 with commitment from several community leaders. The purpose of the organization was to provide a central distribution center for companies, groups, and individuals who wished to help provide food for Middle Tennessee's hungry. Second Harvest's mission is to feed hungry people and work to solve hunger issues in our community.

Modeled after the first food bank established in Phoenix in the mid-1970s, Second Harvest was designed to collect food that would otherwise be wasted, inspect and sort this food, and distribute it to soup kitchens, pantries, and shelters serving the hungry. During the first year, this process resulted in a total distribution of 160,000 pounds of food to 75 member agencies.

Today, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is one of the largest and most comprehensive of over 200 food banks and food distribution centers nationwide. During the 2009/2010 fiscal year, Second Harvest distributed more than 53.3 million pounds of food to hungry men, women, and children. Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee was named 2003 Affiliate of the Year by America's Second Harvest. The Food Bank is proud to share this prestigious award with the thousands of supporters and leaders who have supported Second Harvest over the past 30 years.

Second Harvest’s vision of ending hunger is more important than ever. Hunger is a big problem, and we need everyone’s help to solve this issue. There are an estimated 49 million Americans that are at risk of hunger in this country according to the USDA, and there are almost 14 million children in the U.S. under 18 that are food insecure. One in five children in the state of Tennessee are food insecure, and in Middle Tennessee alone, 31 percent of the people Second Harvest serves are children.

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