For Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee members this is the busiest time of year, and it is working around the clock to make sure everyone enjoys a Thanksgiving dinner.

The 21,000-square-foot Second Harvest warehouse distributes to 350 agencies in 18 counties and operates year round for those in need, and there is rarely enough to meet the demand, Executive Director Elaine Machiela said.

Second Harvest is distributing more food than ever, having distributed 1.4 million pounds in the past four months, which breaks a record in pound distribution for the second time.

“If we stay on the track we are on, we will distribute 8 million pounds at the end of July,” Machiela said. “It’s sad because we don’t want anybody in need.”

It is difficult to explain what Second Harvest does because “all we do is distribute and provide food” that is donated from the surplus of food industries locally and nationally, and it is “like a clearing house with various types of food coming in,” she said.

Local donations are given regularly from industries like Food City and Target, and food drives are held at churches and schools.

Agencies like the Knox County Rescue Ministry, the Boys and Girls Club, the Salvation Army and the Maryville Housing Authority volunteer to prepare food and help meet the needs of the community.

“We have been blessed in this community. It has been so good to us,” Mechiela said.

The University of Tennessee has also contributed to the Second Harvest efforts. The Athletic Department gave their support last Thursday, when football players delivered 184 turkeys, Machiela said. Called “Touchdowns for Turkeys,” the department donated turkeys for every touchdown made this season, according to UT’s Athletic Department.

“We are grateful to the Athletic Department for their support each year through different venues. The UT Minister’s Council is very involved also, and the students need to know that,” she said.

Additionally, Second Harvest children programs are growing rapidly, which requires lots of expense. The newest program, Food for Kids, provides backpacks with food to go home for elementary kids.

There are 200 Second Harvest Food Banks in the country and five in Tennessee. Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, Memphis and upper east Tennessee serve the entire state, Machiela said.

Mechiela has worked with Second Harvest for 11 years, calling it a “gratifying job.”