Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee

What Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee does

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1982 and headquartered at 136 Harvest Lane, Maryville, Tennessee. It operates as a regional food bank serving an 18-county service area in East Tennessee and is a member food bank of Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief network. The organization distributes food directly to East Tennesseans experiencing food insecurity — more than 213,000 children, seniors, and families — and provides hunger-relief services to children to seniors, with stated operational efficiency of $0.953 of every dollar spent on hunger-relief programs.

The organization's product portfolio is built around a core distribution model anchored by the Mobile Pantry program (a "pantry on wheels" rotating across all 18 counties), the Food for Kids program (weekly weekend food bags reaching 15,458 students across 300 public school campuses), the Food Rescue program (redistributing 11,978,208 pounds of surplus perishable food in 2025 to partner agencies), and a Partner Agency network of 780+ community organizations (food pantries, churches, community centers, schools) that distribute food locally. Supporting sub-programs include the Nutrition Access Program, the Allergy-Friendly Pantry Initiative (launched April 2024 to serve dietary-restricted individuals across 10 pilot pantries in 7 counties), the Harvesting Hope program (launched June 2026 with local farmer partnerships), and the Harvest to Home home-delivery service for neighbors undergoing medical treatment. Logistics are powered by a fleet of trucks (302,924 fleet miles driven in 2025) and the Primarius Web Window partner-agency online ordering platform.

The revenue model is donation-based, drawing on individual one-time and recurring gifts ($50/$75/$100/$250 tiers plus custom), corporate sponsorships and grants (SouthEast Bank as presenting sponsor for Pack the Bag '26, Food Lion Feeds, Commercial Bank, Jefferson Health Care Foundation, Delta Dental of Tennessee, Sensata Foundation), community food drives (202,310 pounds collected in 2025), and event-driven fundraising (Pack the Bag, Volley for Hope, Hunger Action Month, Double Your Donation Day, Hoops4Hunger). The 2025 Annual Report disclosed 27.3 million pounds distributed; Giving Tuesday and Double Your Donation Day alone raised over $1.7M, equating to 5M+ meals. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on volunteer engagement (34,863 hours in 2025), grassroots events, and media partnerships with WBIR, WATE, and WVLT to drive awareness and donor acquisition. In June 2026, Rachael Ellis was named incoming CEO, succeeding Elaine Streno.

Name

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee

Legal name

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee

Website

https://secondharvestetn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1982 that distributes 27.3 million pounds of food annually across 18 East Tennessee counties. It serves 213,000+ food-insecure individuals through Mobile Pantry, Food for Kids, Food Rescue, and 780+ partner agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank / Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF), School Feeding & Social Protection Partnerships (Conditional Cash Transfers, etc.) (EDADALAL)

Keywords

• Food bank services
• Hunger relief programs
• Food distribution
• Community food assistance
• Charitable food programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Maryville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute one-time and recurring donations via the organization's website donation portal. The organization offers monthly giving programs and one-time gift options at various price points ($50, $75, $100, $250 or custom amounts).
2. Corporate Sponsorships and Grants: Corporate partners sponsor specific programs (e.g., Pack the Bag, Mobile Pantry distributions, Hunger Action Month). Grants from organizations like Food Lion Feeds fund specific initiatives. In 2025, Giving Tuesday and Double Your Donation Day raised over $1.7M.
3. Food Drives: Community-organized food drives contribute food donations. In 2025, food drives received 202,310 pounds of food.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee collects, warehouses, and distributes food across an 18-county service area in East Tennessee, primarily through a network of 780+ partner agencies, a Mobile Pantry 'pantry on wheels' program, a Food for Kids weekend backpack program in 300 public schools, and a Food Rescue program that redirects perishable food from retailers. Operations are funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, grants, food drives, and community fundraising events.

Product overview

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee operates as a food bank distributing food across an 18-county service area through multiple interconnected programs. The core product portfolio includes Mobile Pantry (pantry on wheels), Food for Kids (weekend food bags for schoolchildren), Food Rescue (perishable food redistribution), Partner Agencies (network of 670+ distribution points), Empowerment Services, and Harvesting Hope (new agricultural partnership program). Supporting sub-programs include the Nutrition Access Program and Allergy-Friendly Pantry Initiative. Fundraising events include Pack the Bag, Volley for Hope, Hunger Action Month, Double Your Donation Day, and Hoops4Hunger. The organization also maintains a partner agency portal (Primarius Web Window) for online ordering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Feeding Hope: Quarterly newsletter of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee.
• Food for Kids
• Mobile Pantry
• Food Rescue
• Harvesting Hope
• Allergy-Friendly Pantry Initiative (AFPI)
• Empowerment Services
• Harvest to Home
• Nutrition Access Program (NAP)

Products and services

• Mobile Pantry A pantry on wheels program that delivers fresh, nutritious food to communities across all 18 counties in the service area, providing recurring monthly or bi-weekly distributions at churches, community centers, and public locations. Open to anyone in need.
• Food for Kids Program providing kid-friendly, nutrient-rich bags of food discreetly distributed through 300 public school campuses to 15,458 identified food-insecure children every Friday to last through the weekend. Operating since 2003.
• Food Rescue Program rescuing perishable food (produce, proteins, baked goods) from retailers and distributors and redistributing it to Partner Agencies through a fleet of trucks. Distributed 11,978,208 pounds in 2025.
• Partner Agencies Network Network of 780+ community organizations including food pantries, community centers, churches, and schools that order food through the Primarius Web Window portal and distribute it to neighbors in need across the 18-county service area.
• Empowerment Services Program serving those experiencing hunger with educational resources and support designed to help end the cycle of poverty, serving children to seniors.
• Harvesting Hope Food access program launched in June 2026, working with local farmers to provide fresh produce to communities experiencing food insecurity through ongoing agricultural partnerships.
• Allergy-Friendly Pantry Initiative (AFPI) Sub-program under the Nutrition Access Program aimed at increasing access to allergy-friendly alternatives for the Top 9 food allergens, with a goal of at least one allergy-friendly pantry in each county within the 18-county service area.
• Nutrition Access Program (NAP) Program improving access to foods that align with neighbors' preferences and nourish physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, delivered through cooking classes, educational resources, community outreach, and agency partnerships.
• Harvest to Home Home-care food boxes program delivering food to neighbors undergoing medical treatment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27.3 million pounds of food distributed annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• SouthEast BankmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026SouthEast Bank is the presenting sponsor for Pack the Bag '26, Second Harvest's flagship Food for Kids fundraising campaign that provides weekend food bags to 15,458 students.
• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecond Harvest is a Partner Food Bank of Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. This membership provides access to national resources, collective purchasing power, shared best practices, and support from a network of 200+ food banks across the United States.
• Commercial BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommercial Bank sponsors the Knox County Mobile Pantry distribution at Tabernacle Baptist Church.
• Jefferson Health Care FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJefferson Health Care Foundation sponsored the Jefferson County Mobile Pantry distribution.
• WBIR Channel 10majorGTM or Marketing PartnerWBIR Channel 10 conducted live 'road show' at Pack the Bag event at Avenue Dream Center and organized the Tackling Hunger Challenge with 22 East Tennessee high schools raising food and funds.
• WATE Channel 6majorGTM or Marketing PartnerWATE Channel 6 livestreamed the 3rd annual Volley for Hope Pickleball Tournament championship matches on local television for the first time in tournament history.
• WVLTmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerWVLT hosted their Days of Giving food and fund drive on Giving Tuesday, providing more than 40,100 meals for the community.
• Delta Dental of TennesseemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerDelta Dental of Tennessee sponsored Second Harvest's Hunger Action Month education, awareness, and advocacy efforts throughout September.
• FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFARE is the largest advocacy group for people with food allergies and is collaborating with Second Harvest on the Allergy-Friendly Pantry Initiative.
• FOODiversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Carolina-based non-profit working to increase access to allergy-friendly and gluten-free foods for people experiencing food insecurity. Shared resources and connected Second Harvest with other advocacy organizations for the Allergy-Friendly Pantry Initiative.
• 99.1 Sports AnimalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio personality Josh Ward ran 40 miles in one day to raise funds for the Food for Kids program.
• SodelaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit of refugee leaders that partners with Beardsley Farm and Second Harvest to deliver culturally-specific produce from refugee farmers to families in need through the Buy Back program.
• Tennessee State University (TSU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTSU agents provided winter 2024 training sessions on business management practices and marketing (in English and Swahili) for refugee farmers in the Buy Back program.
• 22 East Tennessee High SchoolsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipated in WBIR's Tackling Hunger Challenge, going head-to-head to raise food and funds to provide meals for East Tennesseans experiencing food insecurity.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee: Fellow Feeding America member food bank operating in Middle Tennessee (Nashville area). Directly comparable operating model, program portfolio, donor base overlap, and similar geographic scope — competes for regional Tennessee corporate sponsors and media attention.
• Chattanooga Area Food Bank: Regional Feeding America member food bank serving Southeast Tennessee / Northwest Georgia with a similar Mobile Pantry, Partner Agency, and child feeding programs. Comparable in scale and operating model, sharing volunteer and donor pools in the broader East Tennessee region.
• Mid-South Food Bank: Feeding America member food bank serving Memphis and surrounding counties in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Comparable distribution volumes, partner agency model, and child nutrition programs; competes for state-level grants and corporate donors.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina: Regional Feeding America member food bank of comparable size serving 18 counties in NWNC with similar Mobile Pantry, Food for Kids, and Partner Agency programs. Strong comparability on scale, programs, and operating model.
• Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana: Mid-sized Feeding America member food bank operating Mobile Pantry, BackPack (Food for Kids equivalent), and Food Rescue programs across multiple counties. Comparable in programmatic structure and partner agency distribution model.
• Foodbank of South Jersey: Regional Feeding America member food bank serving South Jersey counties with similar Mobile Pantry and child feeding programs. Comparable distribution scale and community-led fundraising approach.
• Dare to Care Food Bank: Regional Feeding America member food bank serving Louisville and surrounding Kentucky counties. Operates comparable Mobile Pantry, child feeding, and partner agency programs with similar organizational structure and scale.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella organization and parent network of 200+ member food banks including Second Harvest ETN. Provides collective purchasing, branding, and advocacy — comparable as the broader platform but not a direct geographic competitor.

Others

• Food Lion Feeds: Corporate philanthropic arm of Food Lion grocery chain and a major financial partner of Second Harvest ETN. Functions as both a funding source and food donor (industry supplier) — not a direct competitor but a key ecosystem participant.

Emerging players

• FOODiversity: North Carolina-based nonprofit focused on expanding allergy-friendly and gluten-free food access for food-insecure populations. Direct collaborator with Second Harvest on the Allergy-Friendly Pantry Initiative — comparable niche mission and overlapping end beneficiaries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHTC6YxRC-EIkYBG_PlLUXQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/Second.Harvest.ETN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/second-harvest-food-bank-of-east-tennessee
• Instagraminstagram.com/secondharvestetn
• Xx.com/SecondHarvestET

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee