Bank of America’s Support for Massachusetts Food Relief Tops $1,175,000 in 2022

BOSTON — Bank of America announced a $275,000 donation to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Greater Boston Food Bank, Lovin’ Spoonfuls, and the Worcester County Food Bank to help address food insecurity in the state. The donation is part of a unique program to encourage bank employees to support the health and safety of their teammates and help address one of the most critical needs facing communities: food insecurity.

As part of this program, Bank of America donated $50 to local hunger-relief organizations on behalf of employees who got their annual flu shot and an additional $50 donation for those who received and recorded their coronavirus vaccine booster before Nov. 23.

An estimated 15.9% of households were food-insecure in Massachusetts at the end of 2021, according to Project Bread. Hunger-relief organizations in the state and around the country are facing a set of increasing challenges as they confront an ongoing pandemic and rising food prices.

The $275,000 donation builds on the bank’s first phase of the vaccine campaign, which resulted in $575,000 raised earlier this year. Along with other financial support, Bank of America has given more than $1,175,000 to help fight hunger in Massachusetts in 2022.

The overall commitment is part of the bank’s longstanding efforts to address hunger relief and support the health and safety of its employees and community. As a result of these efforts, Bank of America has committed nearly $19 million to local hunger-relief organizations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as well as to the World Central Kitchen and World Food Programme globally.

“Households facing food insecurity know they can turn to their local food pantry or meal site to help them get through challenging times,” said Andrew Morehouse, executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. “Behind the constellation of frontline emergency feeding sites across the Commonwealth is a network of regional food banks that supply most of the food and in turn depend on the greater community for support, including corporate leaders like Bank of America.”

Miceal Chamberlain, president of Bank of America Massachusetts, added that “individuals and families throughout our community are coping with financial hardship this holiday season. Food banks, in turn, are experiencing a surge in need, in many cases from people who’ve never relied on their services. Our employees are devoted to giving back and making a difference to improve their communities.”