The Food for Kids Backpack program provides a bag full of healthy snacks and easily prepared meal items for children in need to take home and eat after school and on weekends. The program is offered through every school in our region and children are identified by their school nurse or counselors for the program. Over 3,600 children are served every year. Sponsors are secured every year so that every child in need of the Food for Kids program may be served.
Funding for the Food for Kids Backpack program for the 2010-2011 school year was made possible by: Ayers Foundation, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Food Lion Charitable Foundation, John Deere Foundation, Junior League of Bristol, Junior League of Kingsport, Massengill-DeFriece Foundation, Mooneyhan Family Foundation, Niswonger Foundation, OneXOne, PeyBack Foundation, RGK Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Speedway Children's Charities, Variety Club of Eastern Tennessee and Wells Fargo Investing in Our Communities 2010 along with civic organizations, churches, individuals and many volunteers.
Kids Cafe enables Food Bank agencies to provide food for children and youth programs where over 55% of children attending are at or below the poverty level.
The Food Bank’s Summer Food Service Program fills the gap in child nutrition when school is out of session during the summer months. The program is operated using food vendors and volunteers provided through the Corporation for National and Community Service ‘Summer VISTA’ programs. Children are also served through Kids Café programs that provide food for children in primarily low-income after school programs.
Mobile Food Pantry - Sometimes there is no Food Pantry or Soup Kitchen located where it is needed. The Mobile Food Pantry of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee comes to the rescue providing regular distributions of food and grocery products to fill these gaps in need in our region and get the food out where it is most needed reaching thousands of people in need. Interested organizations and sponsors are needed to host Mobile Food Pantry distributions in various communities throughout the region.
Food Rescue: Perishable and prepared food is collected from restaurants, caterers, grocery stores, and other food vendors then redistributed to agencies making more nutritious food available to people in need. Perishable food is also distributed through the Mobile Food Pantry program.