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Second Harvest Food Bank Accordion | Nashville Predators

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  Published in Food and Wine on Thursday, October 30th 2025 at 14:25 GMT by National Hockey League
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Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators Partner with Second Harvest Food Bank for “Accordion” Community Initiative

The National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators recently announced a new partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, launching an ambitious community program dubbed the “Second Harvest Food Bank Accordion.” The initiative is designed to streamline food donations, raise awareness of food insecurity in the region, and provide a tangible way for fans and local residents to contribute to a cause that resonates with the Predators’ commitment to community engagement.

What is the Accordion?

At its core, the Accordion is a multi-tiered donation mechanism integrated into the Predators’ home‑game experience. Fans attending a game can drop off canned goods, fresh produce, or non‑perishable items in a specially designed, accordion‑style container placed at the entrance of the arena. The container expands and contracts—much like an accordion—allowing for easy stacking and efficient sorting of donations by the event staff. Once the game is over, the collected items are shipped directly to Second Harvest Food Bank’s central distribution hub, where they are redistributed to families in need across Middle Tennessee.

The program is intended to be simple: one small, portable accordion can hold a large volume of food, and the expandable design makes it easy for multiple volunteers to deposit donations without creating clutter or congestion. By aligning the donation process with the existing flow of arena traffic, the Predators ensure a minimal disruption to fans while maximizing the volume of food that can be collected each game.

Community Impact

Second Harvest Food Bank, a nonprofit that has been serving the Nashville area since 1973, distributes millions of meals each year to low‑income families, seniors, and individuals with special dietary needs. The partnership will allow the Predators to tap into the existing infrastructure of Second Harvest while adding an innovative collection system that can increase donation volumes. According to Second Harvest officials, the Accordion will help them meet the rising demand for food in the wake of the COVID‑19 pandemic and the ongoing economic challenges faced by many residents.

Predators President and CEO Mike Neale highlighted the significance of the partnership in a statement. “The Nashville community has always been a big part of our identity as a team, and this initiative gives us a direct way to give back,” Neale said. “The Accordion is a small but powerful tool that will help us gather the resources we need to support families who are struggling to put food on the table.”

A spokesperson for Second Harvest, Sarah Lentz, added that the collaboration is a perfect fit for the Predators’ community values. “We’re thrilled to partner with the Predators, a team that shares our commitment to service and inclusion,” Lentz said. “By leveraging the popularity of hockey and the widespread support for our players, we can raise a significant amount of food and awareness for those in need.”

How Fans Can Get Involved

While the Accordion will be a central feature of every Predators home game, fans have several ways to participate:

1. Drop‑off at the Arena – Fans who attend a game can leave donations in the accordion container located near the main entrance. All items must be in good condition and suitable for consumption. The Predators’ volunteer staff will then ensure that the donations are transported to Second Harvest.

2. Volunteer Opportunities – Second Harvest is looking for volunteers to help sort and transport the food items. Prospective volunteers can sign up through the Second Harvest website (secondharvest.org) or the Predators’ community page (predators.com/community/volunteer).

3. Online Donations – For those who cannot attend a game or would prefer to contribute directly, Second Harvest offers an online donation portal. A portion of the money raised can be used to purchase food items that will be distributed to families, providing a different but equally valuable avenue for support.

4. Social Media Challenges – The Predators’ social media channels will run a hashtag campaign, encouraging fans to share photos of their donations and challenge friends to do the same. Each post tagged with #AccordionGiveBack will be shared with Second Harvest’s official accounts to amplify the message.

Expanding the Initiative

While the Accordion will start in the first half of the 2023‑24 NHL season, both organizations are already planning to extend the program into community events outside the arena. Future possibilities include:

• Community Food Drives – Predators players and staff will attend local schools, churches, and businesses to promote the Accordion and collect donations outside of game days.

• Partnership with Local Businesses – The Predators are exploring collaborations with Nashville’s grocery stores and restaurants to accept food donations directly at their locations and redirect the proceeds to Second Harvest.

• Digital Engagement – The Predators are developing a mobile app feature that allows fans to scan a QR code and instantly donate a virtual “food donation” which can be converted into real goods for Second Harvest.

• Seasonal Campaigns – The program will have themed drives (e.g., “Fall Harvest,” “Winter Warmth”) that align with holiday seasons to maximize donations and awareness.

The Bigger Picture

Food insecurity remains a pressing issue in Nashville and across the United States. The partnership between the Predators and Second Harvest demonstrates how sports franchises can leverage their fan base and resources to address societal challenges. By turning an arena’s everyday operations into a platform for community service, the Predators are setting a precedent for other teams to follow.

The “Accordion” program is not just a collection method; it is a symbol of cooperation, creativity, and compassion. It shows that a simple design—an expanding and contracting box—can have a lasting impact when combined with a shared mission. As the NHL season progresses, the Predators and Second Harvest Food Bank will continue to measure success not only in the number of cans collected but also in the number of families fed, the community awareness raised, and the enduring partnership that supports Nashville’s most vulnerable residents.