Second Harvest prepares for Hunger Action Month with Kickoff Breakfast
Farragut West Knox, Loudon County and Blount County Chambers of Commerce are gearing up to co-host Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee’s 4th Annual Hunger Action Month Kickoff Breakfast from 7:45 to 9 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 28, at the food bank office, 136 Harvest Lane, Maryville.
Open to the public, the event is sponsored by Vicki Williams of Movement Mortgage, Casey Mynatt with City Wide Facilities Solutions, Aaron Crecy with Junk Galaxy and Daniel Monday, owner of Slamdot. There is no cost to attend.
“Second Harvest is honored to work alongside this passionate group of community activists who are leveraging their time, voices and circles of influence to raise awareness of the impact hunger has on our neighbors across East Tennessee,” said Kristi Rule, chief development officer for Second Harvest. “Our mission is to lead the community in the fight against hunger, and this event ignites the community to help us maximize our efforts.
“This high-energy networking breakfast, fueled by great food, fellowship and a shared mission, encourages attendees to bring jar(s) of peanut butter, a pantry staple in high demand,” she said. “Every donation directly supports Second Harvest’s mission to provide food to children, seniors and families across 18 East Tennessee counties.
Rule said the kickoff breakfast started four years ago through an informal conversation between Williams, Crecy and Val Privett of Beacon Insurance Advisers.
“Knowing that Second Harvest promotes Hunger Action Month (in September) each year, these Hunger Action Heroes wanted to motivate the community to get engaged with us through hosting local food drives and collecting peanut butter — a protein super food — to stock our shelves for families who are unsure where their next meal will come from,” she said. “So, the Hunger Action Month Kickoff Breakfast was created.
“The initial event was held in the lobby outside Movement Mortgage’s office on Lovell Road in partnership with Farragut West Knox Chamber,” Rule recalled. “Since then, the annual networking event has grown in supporters — presenting sponsors, chambers and attendees.
“The goal (of the event) is simple,” she said. “We strive to inspire people to take action and raise awareness of hunger and food insecurity across East Tennessee.
“The community can support our food bank’s campaign for advocacy throughout the month of September using three critical factors:
• “Spread the word
• “Volunteer with us at our Blount County facility or across the 18 counties we serve or
• Host a food drive.
Rule said 213,970 East Tennesseans are at risk of hunger and uncertain from where their next meal will come.
She added 50 percent of those East Tennesseans, on average, are “above the SNAP threshold, meaning they do not qualify for governmental assistance according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap Survey.”
“One in six children —50,460 — are experiencing food insecurity based upon a recent report from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap Survey,” Rule said.
“East Tennessee loses 10 acres of farmland per hour, negatively affecting food systems and availability of locally sourced foods, according to UT Agriculture Extension, circa 2025,” she added. “In fiscal year 2025, Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee served a total of 2,343,048 people through our hunger-relief programs.”
Founded in 1982, Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee is “leading the community in the fight against hunger across 18 counties — 8,000 square miles,” Rule said, adding 95 cents of every dollar donated goes toward its hunger relief programs.
“In FY25, Second Harvest distributed over 27 million pounds of food, including 7.3 million pounds of fresh produce, across our service area," she said. “More than 11 million pounds came from the Food Rescue program. The distribution of food equates to 22.7 million meals provided.
“Food drives are critically important to stocking our shelves,” Rule said. “Last fiscal year, the community donated in excess of 300,000 pounds of shelf-stable foods.
“Volunteers contributed more than 32,000 hours to the Food Bank, which is equivalent to more than 15 additional full-time employees,” she said. “Our fleet traveled over 311,000 miles last year.”
