Feeding South Florida Recognized with Two Awards from Bank of America for Its Impact in Addressing Hunger in South Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE – The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has named Feeding South Florida as a 2014 Neighborhood Builder®, a program that is currently marking its tenth anniversary and provides the largest investment in nonprofit leadership development and organizational longevity. Feeding South Florida, a longstanding community partner that serves Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, serves 30 percent of Florida’s food insecure population. The Bank of America Neighborhood Builders award provides $200,000 in flexible funding for the nonprofit along with leadership training for its executive director and an emerging leader. In addition to being named a Neighborhood Builder, Feeding South Florida is also a recipient of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation’s 2014 Basic Human Services Grant. The grant is part of a $461,500 collective investment the bank is making in South Florida to address issues related to basic human services.
Feeding South Florida is the leading domestic hunger relief organization in South Florida, serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties through a network of nonprofit partner agencies, including soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless shelters, group homes and other emergency food service programs. Feeding South Florida is part of the Feeding America network consisting of 202 food banks and is part of Florida Association of Food Banks, the state organization for Feeding America, and leader of Farmers Feeding Florida.
Bank of America’s grants will help Feeding South Florida specifically fund its initiatives to increase the amount of food distributed, including fresh produce and other healthy items.
“It is crucial to assist nonprofits in building a healthy and successful community. Through the Neighborhood Builders and Basic Human Services Grants, Bank of America is making a lasting impact and we are honored to be a recipient,” said Paco Velez, president and CEO of Feeding South Florida. “Bank of America is a great example of the potential of corporate social responsibility with this grant and a model for investing in nonprofits who are serving those in their local communities.”
Bank of America has invested $160 million in 800 nonprofit organizations and provided training to 1,600 nonprofit leaders through the Neighborhood Builders program.
Additionally, the bank has continuously invested in basic human services grants throughout South Florida, impacting approximately 810,622 individuals throughout the tri-county area. The grants will help individuals and families address financial stability issues facing low-income communities, provide emergency shelter and supportive short-term housing, as well as provide access to benefits and resources including food pantries, shelters and financial coaching.
“We know the impact that funding has on nonprofits like Feeding South Florida, fundamentally changing their organization and helping them stay competitive in an ever-changing funding environment,” said Lori Chevy, Broward market president for Bank of America. “Without Feeding South Florida, people go hungry and we are confident this investment will empower them to expand to meet the evolving needs in our community and build leadership capacity.”
ABOUT FEEDING SOUTH FLORIDA
Feeding South Florida’s mission is to end hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food, leading hunger and poverty advocacy efforts, and transforming lives through innovative programming and education. Feeding South Florida™ is one of 202 member food banks in the Feeding America™ network, the sole Feeding America food bank in South Florida, and the largest food bank in the state, serving 30% of the state’s food insecure population. Through a local network of approximately 325 nonprofit partner agencies, Feeding South Florida distributes almost 37M pounds of food annually, serving 871,920 individuals in need of food assistance, 287,650 of whom are children, and 150,000 are older adults, throughout Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. For more information, visit www.feedingsouthflorida.org or call 954.518.1818.
Bank of America Corporate Social Responsibility
Bank of America’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a strategic part of doing business globally. Our CSR efforts guide how we operate in a socially, economically, financially and environmentally responsible way around the world, to deliver for shareholders, customers, clients and employees. Our goal is to help create economically vibrant regions and communities through lending, investing and giving. By partnering with our stakeholders, we create value that empowers individuals and communities to thrive and contributes to the long-term success of our business. We have several core areas of focus for our CSR, including responsible business practices; environmental sustainability; strengthening local communities with a focus on housing, hunger and jobs; investing in global leadership development; and engaging through arts and culture. As part of these efforts, employee volunteers across the company contribute their time, passion and expertise to address issues in communities where they live and work.
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