KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — People in Knox County had the chance to pick up food from Second Harvest on Saturday, as the group handed out hundreds of boxes filled with groceries near Knoxville Police Department headquarters.
The event was sponsored by Bank of America and lasted from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. According to organizers, the bank committed around $200,000 to help Second Harvest Food Bank continue helping people eat across East Tennessee. The bank said it's part of a $1.25 billion commitment worldwide to advance racial equality.
"We see too much negativity every time we turn around, and this is such a positive thing," said Terry Cline, the president of marketing at Bank of America. "We've been missing doing this because we've all been sort of closed up and hadn't been able to get together. And this is a commitment our employees want to make, to volunteer."
The bank and Second Harvest have worked together for around 20 years, according to Cline.
People were also able to pick up food for other families, as long as they filled out paperwork that provided basic information about who it would be going to. The boxes were filled with items like eggs, fish, hamburger meat and other grocery supplies.
The next food distribution event is scheduled for Jan. 25 in Grainger County.
Editor's Note: This story has been corrected to reflect the bank committed $200,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank as part of a wider $1.25 billion worldwide commitment