NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee is one of five Feeding America food banks across the Volunteer State that are forming an alliance to better serve Tennesseans facing hunger.
On Tuesday, the non-profits announced the formation of the statewide alliance, the “Tennessee Food Bank Association.”
The announcement says the partnership will help strengthen statewide awareness of food insecurity, protect and grow state and federal funding and provide a clearer line of communication among Tennessee’s food banks.
Food banks participating in the alliance are as follows:
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee (Kingsport)
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee (Nashville)
- Mid-South Food Bank (Memphis)
- Chattanooga Area Food Bank (Chattanooga)
The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee serves Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington and Unicoi counties.
Collectively, these five food banks “work with more than 1,600 partner agencies across all 95 Tennessee counties”, according to the release. Last year, the five organizations distributed more than 100 million meals across the state.
The CEOs of the five food banks released a joint statement about the new alliance, saying they believe this move will allow the non-profits to better serve Tennesseans facing hunger:
“Over the years, all of us have worked together with the sole focus of ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for our neighbors in need and to eliminate hunger in our communities. This Association will formalize that relationship while positioning the food banks to better provide Tennesseans food. We are all stronger together and we could not be more excited for the future and working together in this worthy cause.”
Tennessee Food Bank Association
Officials said the official launch of the association is happening later this year, and a nationwide search will begin for its executive director.
Read More: Second Harvest Food Banks forming statewide alliance
