Kara Hunkele

Juanita at Wesley House, a partner pantry utilizing client choice, shares that our Food Rescue truck deliveries provide cold food, meats, and other items that the pantry couldn’t otherwise afford. “I want whoever’s donating to know they’re just as important as I am. Every one of us is a puzzle [piece], and we have to fit together to make it work,” she says.

This month, Second Harvest would like to educate and bring awareness to the benefits and importance of a term in food banking known as “Client Choice,” as it relates to one way our partner agencies serve our neighbors experiencing food insecurity in East Tennessee. The “Client Choice” model is one in which a food pantry offers community members the ability to shop and make decisions about what they receive, as opposed to distributing pre-boxed or bagged items.