A high-powered program developed to take aim at food insecurity in Tennessee is expanding its sites to the entire state.

During what was one of the hardest years for the U.S. due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of Tennessee saw a 26.6% increase in food insecurity with every 1 in 6 adults needing food support. Shooting Hunger, an annual fundraising event that helps feed hungry Tennesseans through regional food banks, raised $222,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle TN and Mid-South Food Bank, and provided more than 2 million meals to those in need in 2020, recognizing the urgent need to provide for those gone hungry.

This year, Shooting Hunger plans to expand its reach by distributing the funds raised evenly among all 95 counties in the state. A majority of the funds raised will be used to provide weekly backpacks full of food for school children without access to school lunch, with an overall goal to provide 100,000 backpack meals.

Shooting Hunger was started by Tennessee Farm Bureau and Farm Credit Mid-America in 2015 as a way to bring Tennessee agriculture and Tennessee businesses together and provide for hungry Tennesseans. This year, in addition to expanding its monetary contributions across the state, Shooting Hunger is adding a third sporting clays shooting event in East Tennessee, in addition to the events in West and Middle Tennessee The events are hosted by Tennessee Farm Bureau, Farm Credit Mid-America, Rural 1st and Tennessee Farmers Coop.

Donations to Shooting Hunger are accepted year-round, and can be made on shootinghunger.com.