Knoxville, Tennessee (June 23, 2008):  Girl Scouts of Tanasi Council are taking action to help solve an immediate need:  rising hunger among the middle class.  Girl Scouts from Tanasi’s 16-county region are holding food drives through the end of July to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank—and the public is invited to help.

Around the country and here in East Tennessee, a new group of people are coming to food pantries:  the middle class.

“Middle class working people who normally donate to the food bank are making their very first requests for food because they can’t buy food and fuel and meet their other expenses,” says Tom Von Berg, vice president of development for Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee.  “Most are scared and ashamed-- yet are in dire need.”

Tanasi Council Girl Scouts are rallying to help Second Harvest meet the urgently increasing need by leading the “Feeding Our Neighbors” food drive.

And Tanasi Council wants girls to understand they are helping their neighbors—not strangers or people who live far away.

“That’s hunger’s new face—the middle class American—and that’s me,” said Mary Leidig, chief marketing officer for Tanasi Council.  Leidig approached Second Harvest about starting the drive after hearing the new statistics about middle class hunger.  “I knew that Girl Scouts would want to help as they always do in times of need.”

Girl Scouts are spending June and July collecting food at troop events.   “Feeding Our Neighbors” culminates August 2, 2008, as Girl Scouts load a Second Harvest tractor-trailer truck full of donations.  The public is invited join Girl Scouts at the Cokesbury United Methodist Church Family Life Center, 9915  Kingston Pike, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to make donations.  The most needed items are canned food, peanut butter, cereal, soup and macaroni.

Girl Scouts hope to gather 10,000 pounds of food this year and make “Feeding Our Neighbors” an annual event.  Each participating Girl Scout receives a special patch and the satisfaction fulfilling the Girl Scout Mission to make our world a better place.

About Girl Scouts of Tanasi Council…

Girls Scouts of Tanasi Council, Inc. is based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has more than 13,000 members in 16 East Tennessee counties.  Thousands of girls enjoy outdoor program opportunities at Camp Tanasi on 450 wooded acres on Norris Lake.

Girl Scouts of the USA is the world’s largest organization dedicated to helping all girls everywhere build character and gain skills for success in the real world. Founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low, Girl Scouts’ membership has grown from 18 members in Savannah, Georgia, to nearly four million members throughout the United States, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and in more than 80 countries through USA Girl Scouts Overseas.

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