From the Desk of the Head of School- November 15, 2019
Dear Parents,
Next week is the start of our Second Harvest Food Drive. I remember last year discussing how far back our association with this local nonprofit goes, as they opened their doors in 1978. As we discussed our upcoming food drive with long tenured faculty and alumni, we realized we have worked with Second Harvest for at least the last thirty consecutive years. Generations of Harding Academy have participated in this treasured tradition and this year, having the Amazon list helps us reach out beyond our immediate family community and invite those alumni and their families and friends to continue to take part.
As stated on its website, “Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is one of the largest and most comprehensive of over 200 food banks and food distribution centers nationwide. During the 2017/2018 fiscal year, Second Harvest distributed more than 31 million pounds of food to more than 490 Partner Agencies, providing more than 28 million meals of food to hungry children, families and seniors throughout our 46-county service area.”
Each year, the Second Harvest food drive offers a wonderful opportunity to engage in a conversation with your children around the reasons why we need to be doing this each year for the past thirty years - certainly you know your child best, so what that conversation looks like will be different in each household. I have included these statistics* each year around this time because I think they can really help in the conversation. Families who benefit from the food we collect for Second Harvest...
- ...value education. 71% of households have a member with a GED or high school degree, while 23% of Second Harvest clients attained some form of higher education. However, 26% of client households were forced to make a choice between food or education.
- ...own homes. 57% of the families who visit Second Harvest Food Bank had to choose between buying food or paying their mortgage.
- ...are comprised of children. 64,000 children are served by Second Harvest Food Bank.
For me, my kids and I will most likely be having this conversation in the car on the way to the grocery store to pick out our peanut butter, pasta, rice, cereal, oatmeal, canned fruit, canned chicken, canned tuna, canned soup, or canned vegetables (making sure they aren’t expired, of course!). Giving them this opportunity to actively participate brings it home a little more.
Inspiring The Mind • Nurturing The Spirit