Hunger

1 out of 8 people in our country do not have enough to eat. Here in East Tennessee the numbers are worse: 1 in 6 people living right here in our community will go to bed hungry tonight. In Knox county alone, this amounts to upward of 47,000 adults, 9,000 seniors and 15,000 children who don't have enough food to eat. As a mother this hurts my heart. It is unacceptable.

Tonight you can help. The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is once again participating in Orchestras Feeding America National Food Drive. We are collecting non-perishable food to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. Last year the symphonies around the country who participated raised over 200,000 pounds of food to donate. Lets see if we can help top that number this year! When you come to the concert tonight, bring a can with you. Heck, bring as much as you can carry! This is the Volunteer state, after all... This may not seem like much to you but it means the world to someone in need. With 1 in 6 people in our community experiencing hunger, chances are great that you know someone who is suffering.

You can find a list of the items most needed by Second Harvest here. We cannot accept food in glass containers or monetary donations at the concert. If you would like to make a monetary donation to Second Harvest, here is where you can contribute.