Second Harvest Breaks Ground On New 23-Acre Campus
October 30, 2026 ,4:22 p.m.
NASHVILLE, TN - Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee celebrated the official groundbreaking of a new 23-acre, 200,000-square-foot campus designed to more than double its capacity to rescue and distribute food and ensure a sustainable future for hunger relief across Middle and West Tennessee.
The investment comes at a critical time. Nearly 500,000 people across Second Harvest’s 46-county service area lack reliable access to food, including 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 5 children.
The new campus reflects a bold evolution of Second Harvest’s mission to nourish and empower people so they can thrive. It will bring food distribution, volunteer engagement, comprehensive neighbor services, culinary training, community collaboration and sustainable agriculture together on one campus. With more than twice the land and three times the parking, it has the space and capacity to welcome more volunteers, partners, neighbors and staff than ever before, at the same time.
“Today’s groundbreaking is about far more than a building,” said Nancy Keil, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle and West Tennessee. “It represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine how we serve our neighbors. This campus will allow us to provide more food, reach more people, deepen community partnerships, and create new pathways for families to thrive.”
What the New Campus Will Allow Second Harvest to Do for Neighbors
Establishing a new 23-acre, 200,000-square-foot campus will allow Second Harvest to more than double its capacity to rescue and distribute food while offering services to neighbors that go beyond food to create opportunity, improve health, build community and maximize impact.
Increased capacity for volunteers and food distribution at the new campus will allow Second Harvest to grow volunteer hours by 50% in the first year, from 84,500 hours last year to 125,000 hours in the first year. That represents $4.5 million in economic value of time and talent that directly strengthens Second Harvest’s ability to serve neighbors.
A Campus Designed Around Mission and Community
Designed by HASTINGS, a Nashville, firm specializing in architecture, interior design, and urban planning, with extensive input from Second Harvest’s partners and neighbors, each space on the new campus is designed to be both highly efficient and a welcoming community resource that expand access, strengthens partnerships and makes Second Harvest’s mission visible in action.
The Bill & Crissy Haslam Foundation Welcome Center will greet partners, volunteers, friends and neighbors with a window into our mission at work. From here guests will have a view of the heart of our volunteer and operations in action.
The warehouse is the hub for the food Second Harvest distributes across its 46-county service area, and doubling its size will maximize impact. Expanding on-site capacity, increasing operational efficiency, and improving safety and flow will allow Second Harvest to double food rescue and distribution. More dock space, both dry goods and perishable, means trucks stop shuffling and food keeps moving, while expanded on-site storage ends double-handling so food goes straight to where it belongs. Additional cold storage will help protect the food neighbors need most, including meat, dairy, and produce, more than 15 million pounds of which were distributed last year. It’s not just about storing more food. It’s about getting the right food to the right people as efficiently as possible.
The Frist Foundation Neighbor Care Center will serve as a welcoming front door for neighbors seeking assistance. In addition to housing Second Harvest’s first on-site Neighbor Market, a nearly 2,000-square-foot choice pantry where families can select foods that meet their dietary needs, preferences, and cultural traditions, the center will connect neighbors to more than 20 nonprofit partners offering support with housing, healthcare, benefits enrollment, legal services, financial literacy, workforce preparation, and more. The Neighbor Care Center will also include a learning lab and workforce development center designed to help families build greater stability and self-sufficiency.
The HCA Healthcare Foundation Volunteer Engagement Center will dramatically expand the role volunteers play in fighting hunger. More than 15,000 square feet dedicated to volunteer orientation, training, and food-sorting operations will support a 50 percent increase in volunteer engagement during the first year. The expanded space supports more individualized volunteer shifts and welcomes larger volunteer groups than ever before. Building on approximately 84,500 volunteer hours contributed last year, the organization expects to grow to more than 125,000 volunteer hours annually, representing an estimated $4.5 million in donated time and talent.
The Starbucks Community Center will serve as a dynamic hub for collaboration, connection, and community engagement. More than tripling the size of the organization’s current community space, the center will host meetings, trainings, volunteer events and community programs, creating more opportunities for Starbucks partners, local organizations and neighbors to connect.
The Culinary Center embodies one kitchen with two missions: feeding neighbors today and building culinary careers for tomorrow. This 5,700-square-foot space will include a production kitchen that prepares meals for neighbors while also serving as a classroom and training ground for career development and nutrition education. In addition to nourishing neighbors, the Culinary Center will provide catering for events held in the Community Center and serve as a hub for disaster response in the event of an emergency, ensuring the campus can support the community during times of crisis.
Inspired by Project Grow, the Community Garden is a hands-on classroom that will provide food for the Culinary Center while creating opportunities for learning and engagement. Led by volunteers, staff, and partners, the garden will host hands-on classes that teach sustainable growing practices neighbors can use at home. Second Harvest will welcome youth groups, senior clubs, and first-time gardeners to learn about nutrition and how to grow vegetables at home. Food harvested from the garden will go directly to the Culinary Center for hands-on learning projects and use in meals for neighbors. Hydroponic growing containers will allow Second Harvest to garden year-round, producing fresh fruits and vegetables for neighbors throughout every season.
Made possible through transformational philanthropy from Dettwiller Foundation, The Frist Foundation, Starbucks, Amazon, the Bill & Crissy Haslam Foundation, the Carolyn Smith Foundation, the HCA Healthcare Foundation and the Mike and Teresa Nacarato Foundation and many other legacy donors; the new campus will significantly expand Second Harvest’s ability to nourish and empower neighbors across the region.
As construction begins, Second Harvest’s new campus stands as one of the most significant investments in hunger relief infrastructure in Tennessee and a powerful example of what happens when philanthropy, business, nonprofit and communities unite around a shared purpose: ensuring every neighbor has access to nutritious food and the opportunity to thrive.
About Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee:
For nearly 50 years, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee has dedicated itself to nourishing and empowering their neighbors so they can thrive. As a 501©(3) nonprofit, Second Harvest implements sustainable solutions to food insecurity through a strategically selected network of more than 600 partners across 46 counties in Middle and West Tennessee. Our partners include food pantries, congregate meal sites, shelters, childcare facilities, senior centers, group homes, and youth enrichment programs. For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, its mission, and programs, please visit secondharvestmidtn.org.
