SUMMER 2017 You’re Nourishing Young Minds! THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF IN THIS ISSUE: You Ensure Children PAGE 3PAGE 7 Your Gifts Feed Hardworking Have Access to Good Kids at the Easley Families Have Help, Nutrition! Community Center Thanks to You OUR MISSION TO FEED HUNGRY PEOPLE AND WORK TO SOLVE HUNGER ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY Letter BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jeffrey D. Warne from the Board Chair Jonathan Flack President & CEO Board Vice Chair Ann J. Pruitt Thank You for Helping Children Board Secretary Grow and Thrive John West Board Treasurer Dear Friend, Scott Turner Past Board Chair hildren across Middle eliminate the risk that they is making a difference for Tennessee have been fall behind academically hungry students on page MEMBERS Csquirming with when they return to school. 8 of this special summer Greg Allen excitement about the end edition of Table Topics. Scott Bowers of the school year. With That’s why we recently Brian Bowman two months to play in the launched our 2017 Hunger Your gifts are revealed in David Bradley Dr. Jim Burton sunshine and enjoy being Free Summer campaign — the lives of the children, Melissa Eads a kid, many boys and girls to ensure local students parents and teachers who Andy Flatt across our communities who are at an increased risk have expressed just how Lucia Folk will be celebrating summer of hunger have access to the much your generosity Fletcher Foster vacation. nutritious food they need means to them. David Fox to thrive this summer and Amy Johnston-Little But summer doesn’t seem beyond. Our goal is to raise When children in need Bill Krueger so joyous for all children. enough funds to provide 4 have healthy food on Gabriela Lira That last school bell can million meals for children the table, they’re better Phil Pacsi Lyn Plantinga signal the start of a very and their families facing able to break the cycle of John G. Roberts uncertain season. Without hunger. But this can only be poverty —­­ which means a Paul Robinson the free and reduced-price done with your support. stronger community for us Heather Rohan meals they’re able to eat in all. Thank you for helping Tony Rose the cafeteria each weekday, Second Harvest ensure these children — Laquita Stribling kids in need can experience Food Bank of Middle our future — don’t have David Taylor summer as the hungriest Tennessee’s critical to experience the pain of Mimi Vaughn time of year. summer feeding initiative hunger this summer. Ken Watkins distributes balanced Shawn Williams As a mother and meals to community Ad Hoc Member grandmother, I know how centers, libraries, day All my best, important good food is for camps, schools and other Sylvia Roberts growing children. Together, enrichment programs. Young Leaders Intern we must do all we can to You can learn about how Drew Berg nourish these youngsters one such program in the over the summer, to small town of Big Sandy Jaynee K. Day President & CEO President & CEO Jaynee K. Day You can view past issues of our newsletter and our current donor acknowledgment page online at secondharvestmidtn.org/news-room. Your suggestions and comments for Table Topics are always appreciated! Please send an email to [email protected]. 2 Feeding Hope™ Your Gifts Fuel Kids’ Success! he alarming food needs, the Center reality is that even offers bimonthly nutrition Tshort periods of classes, sports leagues, time without access to homework assistance, consistent nutrition can games and arts and crafts. have long-term negative effects on a child’s health Girls and boys typically and well-being. Mariano don’t go home from the Hayes, recreational leader Center’s after-school at Easley Community program until after 6 p.m., Center, understands this so the healthy snacks and challenge all too well. meals are essential to keeping them focused on “It’s pretty close to being schoolwork and energized a food desert out here, for sports and recreation. so a lot of kids wouldn’t In the summer, snacks be getting the proper from Second Harvest nutrition they need to help fuel kids’ success grow, or don’t know what it all day long! is to eat healthy,” he says. Mariano sees the needs The Community Center of his community’s hosts a Second Harvest children firsthand. Kids Cafe, which provides Because he knows how at-risk children with much your gifts help, he healthy meals and snacks was excited to share his during the school year and gratitude with you on throughout the summer. behalf of the families Mariano says if it weren’t he serves. for its partnership with Second Harvest, the Center “Your contributions wouldn’t be able to provide are greatly appreciated enough food for the kids in because funding is not its care. readily available to provide food to the inner Located on the south city [children],” he says. side of Nashville, Easley Communty Center Thank you for ensuring Your contributions serves around 150 to 200 local children have the are greatly children. In addition to healthy meals they need helping meet students’ to thrive! appreciated. Our Culinary Arts Center offers facility rental and catering services at the ~On and off-site catering available~ First Harvest Café MATTHEW AT EASLEY COMMUNITY 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn more at CENTER IN SOUTH NASHVILLE Wednesdays ($8) secondharvestmidtn.org/cac Fridays ($12) or call 615-329-3491 Feeding Hope™ 3 You’re Helping Feed Hungry Tennesseans All Summer PETER ALLISON STARS FOR SECOND HARVEST JACKIE Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is gearing up for the 13th Annual Stars for Second Harvest concert on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 7:30pm at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Presented by O’Charley’s, hosted by Craig Wiseman and with new Stage Sponsor, Nissan, this is an evening not to be missed. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit secondharvestmidtn.org/stars. THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS In honor of National Volunteer Month, we celebrated our volunteers on April 23, at our second annual Volunteer Appreciation Day. This year, we recognized several volunteers through our “Golden Pallet Awards:” 2017 Volunteer Award Recipients Award Category Volunteer or Group Volunteer of the Year Mark and Karen Strakbein Culinary Arts Center Benjamin Hagler Friends of the Food Bank Lee Cunningham Capacity Building Mary Beth Pacsi Family Night Zerfas Family Corporate Group Cigna-HealthSpring Corporate Group Bridgestone Americas Community Group New Neighbors School Group Community Based Transition at United Methodist Publishing Congratulations to the award winners, and thank you to all of our volunteers who tirelessly work to support our mission every day! FARM TO FAMILIES “ODE TO OTHA” BIRTHDAY This summer, the Farm to PARTY CELEBRATION Families program invites Each year, Nashvillian Bill Ramsey hosts a you to volunteer with birthday bash honoring Otha Turner, his us at our partner farms and gardens around lifetime of music and his legacy. To learn more, Nashville. Volunteers will help cultivate and visit othaturner.com/party.html. harvest produce that will be distributed directly to families around Middle Tennessee. Help June 3, 2017 us achieve our goal of providing fresh, local 2-9 pm produce to families in need. Opportunities are $30 donations at the door (Children under 12 are free) available for ages 7+, and no prior experience is Proceeds benefit Second Harvest Food Bank required. Visit secondharvestmidtn.org/farm or EMILY email us at [email protected] for 1711 Sweetbriar Avenue MARK AND KAREN STRAKBEIN more information. Nashville, Tennessee 4 Feeding Hope™ Feeding Hope™ 5 lizabeth Smith, Elizabeth quietly battled Elizabeth’s Legacy known by many breast cancer for many years, Eas “Punky,” was a but few people knew about devoted supporter of Second the challenges she faced with of Hunger Relief Harvest’s work for more her health. Joe says she told a than 20 years. Each year friend that she refused to let she expanded her financial cancer interfere with her life, partnership, through gifts no matter how much time of stock and support of she had left. children’s feeding programs, which she deemed “the best Marian Eidson, Manager - cause in Nashville.” She also Major Gifts, who relished her regularly volunteered her time with Elizabeth, described time at Second Harvest to stay her as upbeat and energetic. connected to our mission. She traveled the world and spent her free time reading, Shortly after Elizabeth knitting and ballroom passed away in 2016, we dancing. Elizabeth practiced learned she’d made fighting law in Nashville for 37 years, hunger a lasting part of her co-founded a local business legacy by including Second and was a dedicated member Harvest in her estate plans. of Belmont United Methodist Church and the Brentwood Her brother, Joe, traveled Morning Rotary Club. In to Nashville from his home 2014, her fellow Rotarians in Maryland to stay by her honored her by establishing side during her final days. As the annual Elizabeth J. Smith he sat with Elizabeth in her Scholarship in her name. hospital room, she revised her will. It was there he learned It’s difficult to put the how deep her dedication was impact of her generosity into to helping hungry families, words. Countless neighbors children and seniors in her across Middle Tennessee have own community. He later Elizabeth to thank for the visited our distribution center nutritious food on their tables to learn more about the — and her commitment to organization his sister cared solving hunger will bring so much about. hope to others for years to come. We are so very grateful “I was quite impressed, even for her enduring support.