Foodbank to Provide 800,000 Meals Thanks to Bank of America
Source: Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
Before the pandemic, the food insecurity rate for Santa Barbara County was 9.2%, on par with a national rate of 10.5%. As the pandemic continues, however, hunger relief organizations in Santa Barbara County and across the country face ongoing challenges such as increased demand for their services due to rising food prices.
Bank of America is supporting its employees’ health and safety while addressing one of the local communities’ most critical needs. As its very first initiative in the new year, the company announced it would make a $100 donation to local hunger relief organizations for each employee in Santa Barbara who received a COVID-19 booster shot by the end of January.
Since the start of the pandemic, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County has distributed over 30 million pounds of food to more than 200,000 individuals. For every $1 donated, the organization can provide 8 meals to the community. With help from the bank’s donation, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County will provide 800,000 of meals to individuals and families throughout Santa Barbara County.
“The Foodbank is thrilled to receive such a generous grant from Bank of America, a longtime partner in ensuring access to healthy food in our community,” explained Alex Varner, development associate and corporate giving liaison for the Foodbank. “We’ll be able to leverage the gift to make a profound impact on hunger locally with volume purchasing, relationships with growers, distributors and producers, and being part of state and nationwide food banking networks.”
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In addition to philanthropic capital, Bank of America also donated nearly 30,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks, gloves and bottles of hand sanitizer to organizations helping with local hunger relief to distribute to those in need. Since the start of the pandemic, Bank of America has provided more than $85,000 in grants and funding to organizations in Santa Barbara County to help with hunger relief efforts.
“As the pandemic continues to impact Santa Barbara County, food banks and hunger relief organizations are experiencing increased demand and higher costs to meet the needs of individuals and families,” said Midge Campbell-Thomas, President, Bank of America Santa Barbara and Ventura. “Our commitment to help strengthen the communities we live in and serve is unwavering, which is why we are investing in the health, safety and wellbeing of our teammates while also providing funds to help local organizations support our neighbors and fight food insecurity.”
The company has encouraged its employees to get COVID-19 vaccinations since summer 2021, offering incentives such as paid time-off and $500 credits towards health benefit premiums. In partnership with local nonprofits, Bank of America has also distributed more than 38 million masks, 41,000 cases of hand sanitizer and 11 million gloves nationwide as part of its ongoing efforts to address health-related disparities accelerated by the pandemic.
8 Comments
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Feb 20, 2022 04:34 PMCongratulations all around. A good cause.
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Feb 21, 2022 07:52 AM"For every $1 donated, the organization can provide 8 meals to the community." />
They raised $100k. That's great. It is always good to donate to any charity that feeds people. But how do they get to 800k meals? What exactly do they consider a meal? A 1/16th of an ounce of white rice and a few beans?
Honest question: How do they get 8 meals for $1?????
If this is actually possible, there should be no one hungry, anywhere...
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Feb 21, 2022 08:03 AMI hope someone who knows answers this, but I think it has to do with how the food is acquired.
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Feb 21, 2022 09:55 AMWhy do people have to take the opportunity to try to put a negative or conspiratorial spin on everything? The Foodbank does great work providing meals to so many in need. If you look a little closer in the article i think you’ll see that the donation is a piece of the puzzle…Each cash donation is leveraged against food donations etc. Here’s the quote that may help explain. “We’ll be able to leverage the gift to make a profound impact on hunger locally with volume purchasing, relationships with growers, distributors and producers, and being part of state and nationwide food banking networks.”
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Feb 21, 2022 11:58 AMSBOBS- Much depends on administrative overhead. We buy "20 canastas" /mo to donate and because I buy from an supportive wholesaler, and I buy and deliver the food myself, the cost is amazingly low. The standard food canasta here in Uruguay is meant to feed 4 people for a week with the addition of fruits and veges.[1Kg flour, 1Kg rice, 1 Lt Safflower oil, 1Kg sugar, pasta, 1lt tomato sauce,lentils, canned veg, and cocoa powder, these can vary somewhat]. Not meals at the Ritz, but there are fewer hungry tummies in our area. Our cost per meal is less than that mentioned, but food is cheaper here where a population of 3.6million that consistently feeds 40million people annually! Eliminating or at least reducing, administrative costs makes charity go so much farther, but it does require actual action.
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Feb 21, 2022 12:15 PMWith our GDP, nobody should go hungry.
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Feb 21, 2022 08:04 AMThat contribution came from B of A's savers. Their savings get less than half a percent of interest for letting banks lend out their savings at 8 - 40 times that for borrowers and owners of credit card debt. The cost of food, gas, drugs--everything is rocketing while savers are robbed by inflation which is the word for making the same amount of money buy less.
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Feb 21, 2022 10:35 AMAnd LUVADUCK is correct, and here's the even worse part: IF someone has savings, trying hard to hold on, pay rent, mortgage, this very act of attempted fiscal responsibility renders them unqualified for social assistance. No EBT card, no rent waiver or housing subsidy, all of which can be claimed by non-citizens and those who work in the "underground economy" and do not pay taxes.