Ice Cream Social for Second Harvest

Market Street Fountain, located at 1000 Ladd Landing Blvd. in Kingston, TN has teamed up with the Roane County Democratic Party to sponsor an Ice Cream Social to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. 

Please stop by and enjoy some delicious ice cream or join us for lunch while helping those in need.

When:  Saturday, March 5                            
Where:  Market Street Fountain
              1000 Ladd Landing Blvd
              Kingston, TN 37763
Time:  11am until 3pm

For more information or directions to Market Street Fountain, please visit http://www.marketstreetfountain.com/directions.html

AARP's "Drive to End Hunger"

One in six East Tennesseans go hungry every night. Many are seniors who have to make a choice between food and medicine or paying their heating bills.

That’s why AARP is teaming with Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee to collect food at the Women Today Show, sponsored by the Knoxville News-Sentinel, on March 4-6 at the Knoxville Convention Center.  Bring a food donation to our booth (#415) at the Knoxville Convention Center and we'll give you a special gift for joining AARP's “Drive to End Hunger.”

For more information, go to

www.aarp.org/states/tn

http://www.drivetoendhunger.org/

http://www.secondharvestknox.org/

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan social welfare organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. In Tennessee, AARP has more than 650,000 members and 1,000 plus volunteers, who help 50+ Tennesseans with their taxes, learn to drive safely, protect their finances and their health, and have fun living their best lives. AARP and the AARP Foundation have teamed with NASCAR's Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports on a national "Drive to End Hunger."

Harvest Bike Ride

West  Bicycles in Farragut's Village Green Shopping Center, located on the corner of Kingston Pike and Campbell Station Road, is hosting the Harvest Bike Ride benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee.  The ride will take place Saturday, November 6th at 10:00AM.  The ride will start and finish at West Bicycles.

There are ride options available for the whole family! 
Ride Options include:  50 Mile, 30 Mile, and a very casual 8 Mile Neighborhood/Greenway Ride

Riders can register (in store- location above) Monday thru Friday, November 1-5th.  Registration and sign-in Saturday begin at 9:00AM.  All riders MUST wear an event wristband.  Maps will be available to participants at the sign-in.  All donations are welcome, with a suggested donation of $25.

For more information please visit www.westbikes.com

Thank you to West Bikes and all the participating rides for your support of Second Harvest Food Bank. 

Avon Fundraiser for Second Harvest

Avon will be hosting a fundraiser to benefit Second Harvest, October 29th - November 8th, through their website www.youravon.com/mtirotta.  Everyone who places an order will automatically be entered to win a gift basket, just like the one below.

For this week only, 25% of all sales will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank!  There is also free shipping on every order when the code FSANY is used!  Avon has great deals on so many products for women.  Items from skin care to jewelry!  Please visit their website for more details!

www.youravon.com/mtirotta



What's happening in East Tennessee?

You may be hearing Second Harvest mentioned on the radio or see our logo in commercials or on TV more and more these days, and for good reasons!  Everyday our incredible community asks to hold events that will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank and the needy in East Tennessee.  The next two weeks, in particular, are jammed pack with events benefiting Second Harvest.  Here are some of the events, but please check our website for a full listing of upcoming events!

October 9th- Renaissance Farragut:
Renaissance Farragut is planning its third annual Fall Festival Saturday, Oct. 9, with two new events: a chili cook-off and a Little Miss Renaissance Farragut contest. The Fall Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning with Dixie Lee Farmer’s Market. The Fall Festival will be held on the grassy lawn in front of Renaissance, meaning parking will be available at Renaissance and at First Farragut United Methodist Church. For more information please visit http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2010/09/13075.html

October 9th- HoLa- Hora Latina Festival:
The HoLa festival, reaching it's 11th year, is known for it's rich mix of music, dance, authentic food, the HoLa Passport Activity (a virtual travel through Latin America and Spain) and the Parade of Nations (a visual treat that highlights the varied and colorful costumes of the different regions.  The festival will be located at the 100 Block of S. Gay Street from 11am-8pm.  For more information please visit http://www.holaknoxville.org/festival/index.php

October 8-10th and 15-17th- Parade of Homes:
This year's Parade of Homes will offer you the opportunity to visit many new homes located in the Greater Knoxville area. The builders or their representatives will be on hand to answer your questions while visiting their homes.  With homes in a variety of locations and price ranges, the Parade is the perfect source for anyone planning to buy a new home now or in the future, or for seeing the newest trends in the home building industry.  Be sure to bring a canned food item to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank.
For more information please visit http://www.theparadeofhomesknoxville.com/

October 16th- Second Saturday Wine Tasting:  (on the third Saturday this month)

Campbell Station Wine & Spirits (CSWS) announces its signature series of wine education seminars, Second Saturdays for Second Harvest.  On October 16th from 4:00pm to 6:00pm, CSWS will be serving samples of wine and broadening the wine experience of those who attend. The event is held at Granite & Marble Works Showroom - next door to CSWS.  The event is free; however, a suggested minimum donation of $10 will be accepted for Second Harvest Food Bank.  You must be 21 years of age to participate.  For more information on this event; contact info@campbellstationwine.com or contact Pamela Treacy at 865-966-7122. 

October 22nd- Dark Hollow Bank:
The Dark Hollow Band will play a concert to benefit Second Harvest at 8pm on October 22 at the Grove Theater in Oak Ridge. The theater is at High Places Community Church.  The concert is free but everyone is asked to bring canned goods for the food bank.
Check out the Dark Hollow Bank facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Hollow-Band/70509166339


These are just some of the many many things going on right now for Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee.  If you have any questions about these events please contact Lauren at 865-521-0000. 

Mountain Madness Film Festival

October is a beautiful time of year in East Tennessee, especially in the Gatlinburg, TN area.  This time of year people flock to the mountains to witness the changing of the seasons and the vibrant showing of the leaves.  As if you needed another reason to visit Gatlinburg this time of year, Second Harvest is proud to introduce the Mountain Madness Film Festival (MMFF), running from October 7th to October 10th in beautiful Gatlinburg, TN.

"The mission of MMFF is to celebrate the people, products, and passion involved in the art of motion pictures.  MMFF will provide the community with a cultural institution that inspires, educates and entertains through screenings and events.  MMFF will also provide the makers of films, and the makers of film products, with a unique and powerful opportunity to enjoy together, the fruits of their labors – films."

MMFF will have events, amazing films, panel discussions, and celebrations all with NO ADMISSION PRICE. 

MMFF has chosen several charities that they believe are important to everyone, especially all of those supporting or attending Mountain Madness Film Festival 2010 and Second Harvest has been chosen as one those charities!  Thank you MMFF and Duane Langley for all of your hard work and for choosing Second Harvest Food Bank as one of your charities! 

For more information about Mountain Madness Film Festival, including screenings, events and locations, please visit http://www.mmfilmfestival.com/

DID YOU KNOW:

• Gatlinburg, TN is located in Sevier County
• 15,361 people are at risk of hunger in Sevier County
• Second Harvest distributed 666,080 total meals to Sevier County last year and 288,880 pounds of fresh food, including vegetables and fruit 
• 13 schools participate in the Food for Kids program, helping 834 kids
• Each month nearly 2,900 requests for food assistance are filled in Sevier County

For more information about services offered in Sevier County or other counties in East Tennessee please visit www.secondharvestknox.org

Second Harvest employees volunteer at local pantry

As a part of Hunger Action Month, Second Harvest employees decided to volunteer a few hours on Tuesday at a local food pantry.  The Baptist Center at Western Heights is one of our busiest pantries.  Every Tuesday and Thursday they open their doors to hundreds of families in need.  The Baptist Center has taken a new approach to the food pantry, they allow clients a "supermarket" experience when picking up food.  Instead of being handed a box of already sorted and chosen food items, families are allowed to pick from a selection of foods.  For instance, individuals are given the option between sliced white bread, wheat rolls or pita pockets, boxes of macaroni and cheese, plain noodles or rice, strawberries or grapes.  As families walk through the pantry, they can pick and choose depending on what they want and what their families will eat. 

Each week Second Harvest is visited by hundreds of pantries.  They come to the warehouse to pick up food that they turn around and distribute to individuals in need.  Although we often have the opportunity to visit with pantry workers and volunteers, we rarely have the chance to be there when the food goes out to families.  Being there on the front line of the pantry open hours gave us an opportunity to see how our work at the warehouse actually affects those who receive our food.  On Tuesday the Baptist Center served approximately 400 families, all within 3 hours.  We met young and old, of all backgrounds, each there for various reasons.  We greeted children and babies, mothers and sisters, fathers and grandfathers. 

The Baptist Center is run by a group of organized, caring, hardworking individuals.  People who give up their time to make others' lives better.  Open now for over 15 years, the Baptist Center has their schedule and routine down to an art.  Like many pantries in our area, the Baptist Center relies on volunteers to keep their operation running smoothly.  The employees at Second Harvest enjoyed the opportunity to be some of the many volunteers that helped Tuesday's pantry go so well.  It was a great experience for us to see our agency in action and witness the inter workings of the pantry.  It was also a great reminder to each of us that once the food leaves our warehouse, it goes almost directly into the mouths of our neighbors in need. 

Second Harvest plans to send employees out to pantries to volunteer on a regular basis.  If you would be interested in volunteers at our warehouse, at a local pantry, or with the Second Harvest employees, please contact John Bell at john@secondharvestknox.org .