Houston Food Bank is the recipient of a unique donation from Bank of America: a check for $125,000 as a result of the bank’s recent booster shot incentive promotion.
The bank announced last month that it would make a $100 donation to a food bank or hunger relief agency for every local employee who receives a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot and notifies the bank before January 31, 2022.
As result of this effort, the bank has committed $10.6 million in donations across the country, with $125,000 going to Houston Food Bank. This generous donation will help provide 375,000 meals to individuals and families throughout the food bank’s 18-county coverage area in southeast Texas. In the last two years, Bank of America has provided $500,000 in funding to Houston Food Bank in support of local hunger relief efforts.
“The pandemic exponentially increased food insecurity and the need for food assistance across the country, and we continue to respond at an elevated distribution rate,” says Brian Greene, president/CEO of Houston Food Bank, the largest food bank in the nation in terms of distribution. “We are a resource for individuals and families in times of hardship and crisis, which means we have been serving not just clients that we had pre-COVID but many who have never sought food assistance before. We could not have done what we’ve done these last couple of years without the support of donors and volunteers, and are so thankful to Bank of America for supporting Houston Food Bank and food banks around the country. We are always grateful to be the recipients of generosity that will help benefit the community.”
Bank of America has encouraged staff to get vaccinated and boosted 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.
“As the pandemic continues to impact Houston, food banks and hunger relief organizations are experiencing increased demand and higher costs to meet household needs,” says Hong Ogle, President, Bank of America Houston. “It is core to our mission to help strengthen and serve the communities we live in, and we strive to find new ways to invest in the health, safety and well-being of our teammates while also providing funding support to help local organizations fight food insecurity and uplift our neighbors.”