To help fight hunger in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Bank of America donated $100 for each bank employee who recorded a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in addition to a company contribution
DALLAS-FT. WORTH – Bank of America today announced a $700,000 donation split between four metroplex non-profits — Crossroads Community Services, Community Food Bank, North Texas Food Bank and Tarrant Area Food Bank — providing an estimated 2.5 million meals to address food insecurity in the region. According to Feeding America and the North Texas Food Bank, 1 out of every 6 people in North Texas will go to bed hungry, the 6th highest food insecure population in the U.S.
Bank of America is supporting its employees’ health and safety while addressing one of the local communities’ most critical needs. Earlier this year, the company announced it would make a $100 donation to local hunger relief organizations and food banks for each employee in Dallas-Ft. Worth who received a COVID-19 booster shot or vaccine and notified the bank before the end of January. The company made an additional contribution to address the increased need experienced by hunger relief organizations across the country. Since the onset of the pandemic, Bank of America has provided over $1 million in funding to metroplex partners in support of local hunger relief efforts.
Across the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex, these four organizations work together to fight hunger with food pantries, distribution systems, and volunteer coordination. With help from the bank’s donation, these organizations will be able to distribute over 2.5 million meals to individuals and families throughout the area. Outside of this gift, the bank has been a longtime partner of all four organizations, giving a combined total of over $1 million since 2010.
“Our mission is to nourish our low-income community with food, education, and overall health,” said Benaye Wadkins Chamber, Crossroads President and CEO. “We are so thankful for Bank of America’s support of this mission, empowering us to continue to serve every family that comes to us. Hunger is a deeply rooted social and economic problem in North Texas; the issue demands ambitious gifts like this.”
“We are so appreciative for the support of companies like Bank of America,” said Trisha Cunningham, NTFB President and CEO. “Our mission for the last forty years has been to bridge the hunger gap in North Texas and provide children, adults and seniors a hunger-free future. Corporate partners are a critical component of our efforts and we could not meet the growing demand for our services without their trust, collaboration and generosity.”
Nationally, the bank has committed $10.6 million dollars to food banks and hunger relief organizations through this effort.
Since 2015, Bank of America has donated nearly $150 million toward hunger relief efforts.
“As the pandemic continues to impact Dallas-Ft. Worth, food banks and hunger relief organizations are experiencing increased demand and higher costs to meet the needs of individuals and families,” said Jennifer Chandler, President, Bank of America Dallas. “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.”
“Food insecurity affects hundreds of thousands of Dallas-Ft. Worth residents,” said Mike Pavell, President, Bank of America Ft. Worth. “Through this program, our employees were able to protect their personal health with a vaccine booster while also providing meals to neighbors in need. We are thrilled with the result and eager to further invest in the health of the communities we serve.”
Bank of America committed to donating a minimum of $25,000 to a local nonprofit partner in each of the company’s 93 markets as part its vaccine booster effort. Because vaccination boosters and reporting are voluntary and additional company contributions are reflected in the final amount, actual donation amounts differ from the number of boosters reported by bank employees.
The company has encouraged staff to get COVID-19 vaccinations since summer 2021 and has offered 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 in local communities as part of its ongoing efforts to address health-related disparities accelerated by the pandemic.
About Crossroads Community Services
Crossroads Community Services’ mission is to nourish our community’s low-income families by providing nutritious food and supportive education. By distributing substantial amounts of wholesome food, Crossroads strives to meet the basic food needs of all our clients, while helping to supplement their household incomes. Since we moved to our new southern Dallas facility in January 2019, we have grown from distributing 2.25 million pounds of food to ~12,000 people annually to distributing 11.5 million pounds of food to ~122,500 people during 2021. With the help of our 140+ Community Distribution Partners last year, we provided enough groceries to provide 9,583,333 nutritious meals and $23,000,00 in household savings for individuals throughout Dallas, Ellis and Navarro Counties.
About North Texas Food Bank
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a top-ranked non-profit hunger-relief organization that sources, packages and distributes food through a network of more than 200 Partner Agencies across 13 North Texas counties. The organization also provides food to children, seniors and families through various direct-delivery programs, including mobile pantries. In its last fiscal year, the NTFB provided access to more than 125 million nutritious meals, a 28% percent increase over the prior year.
In response to the ongoing elevated hunger crisis, the organization has launched a $500 million campaign, Nourish North Texas, to provide more food for today and hope for tomorrow by addressing the root causes of food insecurity. The North Texas Food Bank is designated a 4-Star Exceptional organization by Charity Navigator based on its governance, integrity and financial stability. NTFB is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization.
About Community Food Bank
At the Community Food Bank, we are simply people serving people, and that means all people. We serve all individuals and families without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or sexual identity. Diversity, equity and inclusion is at the core of what we do, serving our community and our employees. Our commitment to these values is unwavering and central to our mission and to our impact.
About Tarrant Area Food Bank
Empowering our communities to alleviate hunger by providing food, education, and resources. Through our network of 350 partners, TAFB provides access to over 1M nutritious meals weekly to children and adults facing hunger. This work resulted in access to 55 million nutritious meals in fiscal year 2021. Learn more at tafb.org.
About Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).
