Nutrition Access
Empowering the community through education
Through the Nutrition Access Program, Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee improves access to nutrient-dense, culturally-affirming foods and provides educational food and cooking resources and programming.
1.
Our first priority
The goal of the Nutrition Access Program is to provide our neighbors opportunities to choose foods that align with their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Read our nutrition philosophy here.
2.
Cooking classes
Second Harvest cooking classes are live, hands-on cooking experiences tailored to the interests & abilities of various populations across all stages of life. In general, our cooking classes aim to improve food literacy and inspire creativity, exploration, & confidence in the kitchen while fostering healthy relationships with food & cooking.
Field trips
Second Harvest Field Trips offer service-learning opportunities for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. During a Field Trip, students receive a brief introduction to the food bank, participate in a cooking experience in our Nutrition Learning Center, & give back to their community through a volunteer shift tailored to their ages/abilities.
3.
Cooking classes by the numbers
49—the number of sites in the 2023-2024 fiscal year
13—the current number of counties served
1,898—the number of people served in the 2023-2024 fiscal year
23,872—pounds of food distributed in the 2023-2024 fiscal year
19,893—meals distributed in the 2023-2024 fiscal year
6—varieties of classes offered:
- CookAbility: adults with disabilities
- Cooking With Zest: adults enrolled in rehabilitation & recovery programs
- Good EaTN Cooking Club: kids or kids & their adults
- Good EaTN Cook-Alongs: agency partners
- Seasoned to Taste: seniors & their caregivers
- Spilled Milk: new & expecting families
4.
Allergy-friendly pantry initiative
The Allergy-Friendly Pantry Initiative aims to increase access to allergy-friendly alternatives for products commonly containing one or more of the Top 9 food allergens. Our goal is to establish at least 1 allergy-friendly food pantry in each of our 18 counties.
Education & outreach
The Nutrition Access program provides food & nutrition education in the community through printed & digital resources.
Examples include:
- Fresh produce for outreach events
- Printed food- & nutrition-related materials
- Recipes
- Coloring books
- SNAP resources
- General resources
You might also be interested in these programs
QUESTIONS?
Reach out today to learn more about what we do, get involved, or for additional information about our resources.