Four students at the University of Tennessee started a volunteer-based organization, called Vols for Kids, dedicated to solving food scarcity in East Tennessee communities. The group teamed up with Second Harvest Food Bank, a local nonprofit organization in Knoxville. Through their Food for Kids program, the nonprofit has already given out 1.2 million meals to children in East Tennessee this year.
“Throughout this program, I have learned how widespread the need for food in East Tennessee is,” Cecilia Fermann, a member of Vols For Kids, said.
Vols for Kids has raised almost $2,000 through their GoFundMe page that was posted in early April, surpassing their goal of $1,500. Fermann said that all funds raised go directly to Second Harvest’s program, providing meals for over 150 students for an entire year. Fermann talked about why the group felt connected to the nonprofit and what led them to want to help.
“When we took a tour of the Second Harvest warehouse, there were thousands of pallets of food that an employee said would all be gone by the end of the month,” Fermann said. “It was truly eye-opening to see and conceptualize just how large of a problem food insecurity is in East Tennessee and the effort it takes to resolve it.”
After partnering with Second Harvest, in order to have a bigger impact, Vols for Kids decided to focus on the Food for Kids program.
“We learned about the Food for Kids program when we had a meeting with one of the Second Harvest employees,” Fermann said. “She spoke very highly of the program as it is their most successful, yet one of the most demanded programs.”
The program provides easily prepared food packed with nutrients to students who are reported to miss meals frequently by their teachers. There are 18 counties in East Tennessee that this program works with to ensure kids are not only fed but are eating food that will give them the strength they need to grow physically and mentally.
“All four of us were familiar with the fact that food insecurity and hunger were prevalent in East Tennessee, but we did not know the extent,” Fermann said. “Children who experience food insecurity within their homes usually get their meals from school, leaving them with significantly less on the weekends. We decided to start Vols for Kids to change that and ensure children have food to last them through the weekend.”
Fermann said that because Vols for Kids is such a small group, getting the word out about their fundraising efforts was not easy at first, but through the use of social media and reaching out to family and friends, the group was able to attract a good number of donations. Fermann discussed ways students can get involved with their efforts to make a difference in our community.
“There are many ways other students can get involved at Second Harvest, like through donating to our GoFundMe that directly benefits them, donating food to their warehouse or doing volunteer work, packaging and sorting their food,” Fermann said. “Second Harvest is always looking for volunteers to assist with all the donations they receive.”
Vols for Kids plans to continue its partnership with Second Harvest through volunteer and fundraising work to continue working towards the goal of “promoting the need for food to resolve food insecurity in East Tennessee,” Fermann said.
