KeyBank Foundation Invests $25,000 to Help Food Bank of Central New York Fight Hunger
Grant is part of KeyBank’s National Community Benefits Plan and will help find equitable solutions to food insecurity
SYRACUSE, N.Y., January 6, 2022 /3BL Media/ – The KeyBank Foundation is making a $25,000 grant to the Food Bank of Central New York. This investment is part of KeyBank’s $40 billion National Community Benefits Plan, which helps communities reach social, economic and racial equity. These funds will help Food Bank of Central New York fight hunger and food insecurity through nutritious food distribution, education, and advocacy in cooperation with the community.
“As our region and nation continue to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Bank of Central New York continues to be a source of help and hope for those impacted by food insecurity,“ said Stephen Fournier, KeyBank Central New York Market President. “All of us at KeyBank are proud to invest in the work they do with so many partner organizations in the region. We share in and believe in their commitment to finding equitable solutions to hunger, strengthen our community and provide nutritious food to individuals and families.”
“We are excited to partner with KeyBank and The KeyBank Foundation to continue the fight against hunger in our community,” said Karen Belcher, Executive Director at Food Bank of Central New York. “These funds will help us acquire and distribute food to our network of food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community organizations working to provide access to nutritious food for people struggling with hunger.”
Hunger continues to be a very serious problem in the United States today. The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that hunger has increased throughout the pandemic, with as many as 30 million adults and 12 million children living in a household where they may not always get enough to eat. Among the thousands of people who depend on charitable food programs in Central and Northern New York, a study conducted in 2017 by Food Bank of Central New York found:
- 10% are without health insurance
- 68% have been unemployed for more than two years
- 32% have a working family member
- 91% are below the federal poverty line
- 41% earn less than $12,000 annually
From March through June 2020, the Food Bank of Central New York distributed 8.4 million pounds of food, a 65% increase in distribution from the same time frame in the previous year. It achieved this through both traditional methods of distributing food through its network of partner agencies and new approaches such as an increase in mobile distributions, large-scale community distributions, as well as newly developed partnerships with schools and other community-based organizations. As many of the resources allocated for individuals impacted by COVID-19 end, the Food Bank anticipates that the emergency food network will continue to feel the effects of increased need for food assistance for years to come.
ABOUT KEYBANK
KeyBank's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, KeyCorp is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187.0 billion at September 30, 2021. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of more than 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
ABOUT THE FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL NEW YORK
Food Bank of Central New York is a not-for-profit organization working to eliminate hunger through nutritious food distribution, education, and advocacy in cooperation with the community. We are the primary food supplier for more than 400 community programs in eleven counties of New York State, distributing 22,511,410 pounds of food last year. Food Bank of Central New York is a member of Feeding America. Visit foodbankcny.org for more information on the agency and its programs.
