From donation box to dinner plate, see how your generosity reaches those in need.

You see a food drive donation box at your church, your child’s school, or one of your favorite restaurants.

The wellbeing of your community is important to you, so the next time you’re at the store you pick up an extra jar of peanut butter, a few cans of chicken, and some whole grain pasta.

The next day, you happily drop the food into the donation box and walk away. For you, the food drive is over, but for the food you generously donated, it’s only the beginning.

FROM DONATION TO DINNER

At the end of the food drive, your donations are either collected by one of our 460 Partner Agencies, including senior centers, childcare facilities, shelters, and more, or brought to one of our distribution centers.

Why are some donations treated differently than others?

To ensure your contribution makes a direct impact on your neighbors, donations made in your county stay in your county, so in counties where we don’t have a distribution center, our Partner Agencies take the food.  

Donations made to food drives in Davidson, Smyrna, or Benton are sometimes brought back to that county’s distribution center. Here, volunteers give their time and energy, sorting and boxing donations to be transported to Partner Agencies.

Once your donation arrives at a Partner Agency, it’s distributed directly to individuals struggling with hunger. Because of you, they can bring that food home and make a nutritious meal for their family.

YOUR IMPACT

Last year alone, 1.3 million pounds of food were donated to food drives across our 46-county service area, providing over 1 million meals to families, children, and seniors facing hunger.

The next time you see a food drive donation box remember you’re not just giving a donation—you’re giving someone dinner.

If you’re feeling inspired to host a food drive, contact food.drives@secondharvestmidtn.org.