Craig Wiseman didn’t set out to find a cause. It found him.
Early in his songwriting career, just as his songs were beginning to find success, Craig was invited to a benefit concert by the owner of his publishing company. It wasn’t framed as a lesson, but it became one. The message was clear: if you’re going to have a platform, you should use it. If you’re going to be blessed, you should pay attention to where that blessing can go.
That night, Craig attended his first Second Harvest event at Vanderbilt Plaza. There, he met Jaynee Day, the former CEO of Second Harvest. Craig recalls Jaynee gave a nice speech and thanked all those in attendance, but that wasn’t what stood out. What stood out was her presence.
“Every time I saw her,” Craig recalled, “she was stuffing BackPacks for kids.”
At the time, Craig was learning to be more discerning about where he gave his time and money. He wanted to support work that was real, effective, and grounded. Second Harvest stood apart. It was local. It was hands-on. And it was led by people who showed up not just to manage the work, but to do it.
“That’s a real charity,” he said. “It was so pure. It was born out of such a pure thing.”
Craig stayed involved. He attended concerts, wrote checks, and performed for Second Harvest. Over time, Second Harvest became part of his Nashville story.
Years later, over lunch at Noshville, longtime friend and mentor David Conrad asked Craig a simple question: Did he know about Stars for Second Harvest?
Craig did. The event had existed years earlier, with artists like Emmylou Harris involved, but it had gone quiet. David had an idea.
“That should start again,” he told Craig. “And you should be the guy running it.”
At first, Craig was stunned. But the logic made sense. Artists tour. Songwriters stay. Songwriters know everyone.
In 2005, Stars for Second Harvest returned to the Ryman Auditorium. And from there, it took off.
For nearly two decades, Craig helped lead the event, calling friends, gathering artists, and bringing together the music community to support hunger relief across Middle Tennessee. Over time, though, he began to notice a shift. Many of the artists who once jumped at the chance were slowing down. They were older. Tired. Ready for something different.
That’s when Craig’s wife made a suggestion.
“You know who you need to pass this to,” she said. “ERNEST.”
A Nashville native himself, ERNEST took the reins and took the event to the next level. For Craig, it felt right. The work continued. The torch stayed lit.
Craig’s connection to hunger relief isn’t abstract. He sees it every day.
His office sits just blocks from Section 8 housing, a sharp contrast to the prosperity of Music Row. The gap is impossible to ignore. And once you start noticing hunger, you see it everywhere. For Craig, especially in the waste.
“The amount of food lost in the restaurant industry is shocking,” Craig said. “Up to 70%.”
Since learning that, he never leaves food behind. Leftovers come home. If not for him, then at least for his dog. He laughed, “Somebody is going to eat this.” The point is simple: food should feed someone.
Over the years, Craig’s understanding of Second Harvest has deepened. He’s seen the warehouse. The trucks. The scale.
“Second Harvest is really a trucking and logistics company,” he said. “It’s the food bank’s food bank.”
Pantries across Middle and West Tennessee rely on Second Harvest to keep their shelves stocked. Food rescued from grocery stores like Kroger and Walmart is moved quickly, efficiently, and with purpose. What donors are really funding, Craig explains, isn’t just food — it’s fuel.
“Diesel feeds people,” he tries to tell his audiences. “You give money, and in less than 48 hours, people are eating because trucks are moving.”
That clarity matters to him. It makes the impact tangible. Immediate.
Craig believes giving is about flow. Like songwriting itself, the work begins quietly. It takes years of effort with no guarantee of reward. Then one day, the results come. The success arrives.
“When that blessing shows up,” he said, “it can’t stop with you.”
For Craig, that belief is rooted in faith. One of his proudest songs, Believe, reflects a truth he returns to often: care for children, widows, and those in need. It’s simple. Direct. Uncomplicated.
“That’s the word written in red for me,” he said. “This is one way I live that out.”
Giving, he insists, isn’t just about money. It’s time. Presence. Showing up to pack BackPacks. Standing in a warehouse filled with pallets of canned vegetables and realizing that every single one matters.
And when doubt creeps in — the voice that says one person can’t make a difference — Craig is clear.
“Don’t listen to that voice,” he said. “That’s the darkness. Don’t let the darkness win.”
Craig often comes back to a line he once heard and never forgot. He says, “Money can buy happiness, you just have to give enough of it away.”
For Craig Wiseman, supporting Second Harvest isn’t about recognition or legacy. It’s about stewardship. About making sure what comes through him keeps moving.