Second Harvest Food Bank Of Northeast Tennessee, Incorporated

What Second Harvest Food Bank Of Northeast Tennessee, Incorporated does

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, Incorporated is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1986 and headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee. It is the only food bank serving an eight-county region of Northeast Tennessee (Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties) and operates as an affiliate of the Feeding America network of more than 200 food banks. The organization acquires food through commercial donations, community food drives, food rescue from grocery stores, and government commodities, then distributes it through a network of approximately 110 partner agencies, mobile food pantries at 76 sites, and a suite of direct-service programs targeting specific populations.

Operations are anchored by a 112,000+ square foot AIB Certified warehouse and distribution facility in Kingsport, which holds an average of roughly one million pounds of food on hand each month and accommodates six delivery trucks simultaneously. In fiscal year 2025 the organization distributed 13.9 million pounds of food (11.6 million meals) and served up to 40,000 individuals monthly, supported by 26,553 volunteer hours. Its program portfolio includes Food for Kids Backpack Program (weekend meals for schoolchildren), Summer Food Service Program (USDA SUN Meals), Senior Home Delivery (monthly food boxes for homebound seniors 60+), Mobile Food Pantry distributions, Food Rescue from grocery partners, SNAP application assistance, and an advocacy program. The organization is supported by 26,553 annual volunteer hours and a lean staff of 11–50 employees under CEO Rhonda Chafin.

The business model is donation-based rather than transactional: revenue streams consist of monetary donations (individuals, corporations, foundations, employer matching, donor-advised funds, stock gifts), in-kind food contributions valued at wholesale, and government commodities. The technology stack is composed of third-party SaaS platforms rather than proprietary systems, including Feeding America's MealConnect for food rescue coordination, Ballad Health's ACC STRONG Unite Us for social service referrals, Network for Good and Qgiv for donation processing, and Double the Donation for employer matching. The organization holds a Charity Navigator Four-Star designation, AIB food safety certification, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and the 2026 Feeding America John Van Hengel Fellowship Award (its CEO's recognition).

Name

Second Harvest Food Bank Of Northeast Tennessee, Incorporated

Legal name

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee

Website

https://netfoodbank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Kingsport, that is the only food bank serving an eight-county Northeast Tennessee region, distributing 13.9 million pounds of food annually to up to 40,000 individuals monthly through partner agencies and direct-service hunger relief programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank and Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Nutrition & Meal Programs (CACFP/Snack Programs) (EDACAMAA), School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD), Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF), Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Services (Donation, Animal Feed, Source Reduction Programs) (EUAIAEAH)

Keywords

• Food bank services
• Hunger relief programs
• Food distribution
• Community food assistance
• Food rescue operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingsport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: The organization accepts monetary donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations through various programs including online donations, check donations, honor/memorial gifts, monthly giving, employer matching gifts, stock donations, and donor-advised funds.
2. Food Donations: Collects donated food from commercial food businesses, grocery stores, and community food drives for distribution through partner agencies.
3. Food Rescued from Grocery Stores: Daily collection of fresh produce, dairy, deli, meat, and bakery items from grocery stores that would otherwise go to waste.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee operates as a nonprofit food bank that collects, stores, and distributes donated food through a network of about 110 partner agencies and direct service programs to individuals and families facing food insecurity across an eight-county region of Northeast Tennessee. Core activities include food rescue from grocery stores, child nutrition through backpack and summer feeding programs, mobile pantry distribution, senior home delivery, and SNAP application assistance.

Product overview

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee operates as a regional food bank serving eight counties (Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington) with a core distribution infrastructure and multiple direct-service programs. The organization runs a 112,000+ square foot warehouse facility distributing food through approximately 110 partner agencies, complemented by direct-service programs including the Food for Kids Backpack Program, Mobile Food Pantry, Summer Food Service Program, Senior Home Delivery, and SNAP assistance. Additional offerings include Virtual Food Drive fundraising, Food Rescue collection from grocery stores, and community advocacy initiatives. The organization leverages technology platforms including MealConnect for food rescue coordination and Unite Us for social service referrals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Food for Kids Backpack Program: Provides children in need with a bag full of healthy snacks and easily prepared meal items to take home to eat after school and on weekends.
• Summer Food Service Program
• Mobile Food Pantry
• Senior Home Delivery
• Food Rescue
• MealConnect

Products and services

• Food for Kids Backpack Program Program providing children in need with bags of healthy snacks and easily prepared meal items to take home after school and on weekends through schools in the eight-county region.
• Mobile Food Pantry Mobile food distribution program reaching thousands of people in need at 76 sites throughout the region, serving Veterans, seniors, and families in areas where traditional food pantries are not available.
• Summer Food Service Program USDA Summer Food Service Program providing breakfast and lunch meals to children 18 and under at stationary sites and mobile non-congregate locations during summer months when school meals are unavailable.
• Senior Home Delivery Monthly food box delivery program for homebound seniors 60 and older who meet income guidelines and have little to no transportation.
• Food Rescue Daily collection of fresh produce, dairy, deli, meat, and bakery items from grocery stores that would otherwise go to waste, for redistribution to people in need.
• SNAP Assistance Assistance with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applications, including helping determine eligibility and completing application paperwork.
• Virtual Food Drive Online fundraising platform allowing individuals, businesses, schools, and community groups to raise money for nutritious meals, with every $1 providing 3 meals.
• MealConnect Technology platform enabling restaurants and businesses to donate surplus food to local nonprofits to reduce food waste and help end hunger.
• Find a Pantry Directory service helping individuals locate emergency food services and food pantries across the eight-county service region.
• Partner Agency Network Network of approximately 110 local agencies that provide food and meals to hungry families throughout the eight-county service region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000 people helped monthly
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Feeding America NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate of Feeding America Network, the nation's largest hunger relief network. Being part of this network provides access to national food sourcing, resources, best practices, and advocacy support. The organization is one of more than 200 food banks affiliated with Feeding America.
• Ballad HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through Ballad Health ACC STRONG Unite Us referral network, connecting people with unmet health and social service needs including housing, food, transportation and employment. CEO Todd Norris from Ballad Health serves on the Board of Directors.
• No Kid HungrymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting summer feeding programs and efforts to end hunger in Northeast Tennessee
• USDA (SUN Meals)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing SUN Meals program for children 18 and under to receive meals during summer months when school cafeterias close
• Partner Agencies (110)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproximately 110 local charitable organizations that receive food from the warehouse to distribute to families in need throughout the eight-county region

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Midwest Food Bank: Multi-state Feeding America-affiliated food bank with locations across the Midwest. Comparable volunteer-driven distribution model, food rescue from grocery partners, child nutrition, and disaster relief programming at similar regional scale.
• Capital Area Food Bank: Feeding America affiliate serving the Washington DC metro area. Larger direct peer with comparable multi-program model including food rescue, mobile market, child and senior nutrition programs, and nutrition education — providing an upward-scaling benchmark.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee: Nashville-based Feeding America affiliate serving 46 counties across Middle and West Tennessee. Closest same-state peer with comparable regional food bank model, Mobile Pantry distribution, and Backpack Program for children — operates at a larger scale but with the same operating playbook.
• Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana: Regional Feeding America affiliate serving 21 counties across Indiana. Similar scale food bank with parallel operating model: partner agency network, food rescue from grocery stores, child nutrition, senior programs, and SNAP outreach.
• Foodshare: Regional food bank serving six Connecticut counties. Comparable scale Feeding America-style operation with food rescue, mobile pantries, partner agency network, and child/senior nutrition programs in a similar mid-sized regional footprint.
• Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico: Feeding America affiliate and largest food bank in New Mexico serving all 33 counties. Comparable regional food bank operating food rescue, mobile distributions, child and senior programs with similar rural-distribution challenges given geographic spread.
• Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina: Regional Feeding America affiliate serving 34 counties in North Carolina. Similar mid-sized regional food bank with comparable agency network distribution, child nutrition (BackPack Program), Senior Food Box program, and SNAP outreach model.
• Food Bank of Eastern Michigan: Mid-sized Feeding America-affiliated regional food bank serving 23 counties in eastern Michigan. Comparable in scale (~14M+ lbs annually), warehouse infrastructure, and multi-program portfolio including food rescue, mobile pantries, and child nutrition programs.
• Chattanooga Area Food Bank: Regional Feeding America-affiliated food bank serving 20 counties in southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia. Direct operational peer with similar food rescue, partner agency distribution, and child/senior nutrition programs targeting an overlapping Tennessee population.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella network of 200+ food banks including Second Harvest itself. Provides national food sourcing, corporate partnerships (Walmart Foundation, General Mills), policy advocacy, and the MealConnect technology platform used by the subject company.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxwbO5J4K2V9GvpgqNy0VkA
• Facebookfacebook.com/netfoodbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/second-harvest-food-bank-of-northeast-tennessee
• Instagraminstagram.com/secondharvestnetn

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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