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Second Harvest tells Sullivan County commissioners food insecurity has risen; asks for continued support
Summary
A Second Harvest Food Bank representative told the Sullivan County Commission March 20 that food insecurity in the county and region has risen and asked county leaders for continued support to close an identified funding shortfall.
A representative of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee updated the Sullivan County Commission on Thursday about rising local food insecurity and asked county leaders for continued support.
The presenter said Second Harvest distributed nearly 3,000,000 pounds of food across six counties over the past several months and currently assists roughly 43,000 individuals each month through nearly 400 distribution sites in Northeast Tennessee. The food bank also supports about 130 schools with child hunger programs, operates senior nutrition programs and provides emergency disaster relief and nonfood items where needed.
Focusing on Sullivan County, the presenter said the organization estimates about 25,000 people in the county are food insecure and described a projected increase in need since 2017. The presenter noted a reported regional increase from about 71,000 to 87,000 food‑insecure residents in Northeast Tennessee and a child count rising from roughly 13,000 to 18,000 in the same period. The organization said an average cost of $4.10 provides one meal and presented an ‘‘annual food budget shortfall’’ figure (packet material provided to commissioners) representing the funding gap to meet local need.
The presenter described Second Harvest as one of five regional food banks in Tennessee and part of the national Feeding America network. The speaker emphasized the food bank’s role in disaster response, citing a recent hurricane response during which distribution volumes rose about 20 percent above normal in affected counties.
The representative told commissioners that most requests to the county for support are one‑time awards connected to submitted applications and asked that continued community funding be considered during upcoming budget deliberations.
Ending: The presenter offered to answer questions and provided commissioners with informational packets including county‑level data and program descriptions. Commissioners thanked the presenter and acknowledged volunteer support from members of the commission.
