October 10, 2024
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACTS:
Rhonda Chafin, Executive Director
(423)279-0430 ext. 206
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee Delivers Over 1 Million Pounds of Food and Water for Disaster Relief
Northeast, TN – Second Harvest’s Disaster Relief efforts have been strong since Hurricane Helene hit the region. As of October 8, Second Harvest has distributed 25 tractor-trailer loads of water, food, and supplies to disaster relief command Centers and the community. Distributions so far total over 1 million pounds of food and water.
“The Food Bank is equipped and ready to respond to disasters that affect our eight-county region so that we can serve our community,” said Rhonda Chafin, Executive Director. “Our hard-working staff has worked tirelessly for the past ten days to serve our neighbors in need. Second Harvest was one of the first organizations in the field providing food and water.” On Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29, Second Harvest sent five trucks from the warehouse into the field. We had the product on hand and ready to go. The Food Bank is disaster-ready at all times.” Ms. Chafin said, “We are prepared to meet Northeast Tennessee’s food and water needs from the hurricane disaster for as long as needed.”
The Food Bank typically provides food for as many as 43,000 people monthly but estimates the number will increase as people work to rebuild their lives. Second Harvest will operate its regular regional distribution sites and provide food for agency partners’ food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters. Twenty of the Food Bank’s agency partners located in some of the hardest-hit areas have reported a greater need for food, water, and supplies, and Second Harvest is responding to the need.
For more information about Second Harvest’s Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief response and how you can help, please visit our website https://netfoodbank.org/involved/donate-monetarily/ or contact the Food Bank at (423)279-0430.
Information about Second Harvest
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee (SHFBNT) feeds the hungry by securing donations of food from national and local manufacturers, growers, and individuals, then redistributing those donations to qualified nonprofit charities and through Food bank programs that feed the hungry in an eight-county region of Northeast Tennessee composed of Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington, and Unicoi Counties. The Food Bank
It is a 501 (c )3 nonprofit organization in Kingsport, Tennessee, and is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest Food Bank network. SHFBNT is a Partner Food Bank of Feeding America, one of 5 in Tennessee and one of over 200 in the United States. In times of disaster, Feeding America mobilizes through its Food Bank network to rapidly serve communities in need.
Hunger in Northeast Tennessee Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap annual study of hunger in every county in the United States finds that 87,250 people (16.8%) in Northeast Tennessee are food insecure, including 18,630 children (19.1% of children), meaning they don’t have consistent access to the food they need due to household income. The average cost per meal in Northeast Tennessee’s eight-county region is $4.04. The meal gap amounts to over $47.2 million for people with low to moderate incomes to have enough money to pay for all their meals. The gap is likely to increase during disaster relief.
SHFBNT measures impact by the number of people served, the pounds of food distributed, and the type of food. 1.2 pounds is equivalent to 1 meal. During FY2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024), SHFBNT distributed 13,570,421 pounds of food, the equivalent of 11.3 million meals, to help people facing hunger in the region.
SHFBNT has a 4-Star rating (highest) by Charity Navigator – Of Second Harvest’s operational budget, more than 96% goes directly to feeding people, and less than 4% is used for administrative and fundraising expenses.