Penn Community Bank ‘Feed-a-Neighbor’ Campaign Donates Food, Funds
‘Reimagined’ food drive collects 650 pounds of food, raises more than $3,700 to buy fresh dairy, produce.
Penn Community Bank, Bucks County’s leading independent financial institution, is proud to announce that its 2018 Feed-a-Neighbor campaign collected 650 pounds of non-perishable food items and more than $3,700 for the purchase of much-needed fresh foods.
In partnership with the Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC), the campaign built upon the traditional food drive concept and added the opportunity for financial donations to purchase fresh, healthy items such as dairy, meat and produce – the most needed but least donated items at local food pantries. Penn Community Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Penn Community Bank, matched donations made in branches and online dollar for dollar, to raise the total donated to $3,700.
“We are grateful for the partnership between BCOC and Penn Community Bank,” said Heather Foor, BCOC Food Program Manager. “For years, Penn Community has run food drives for us, but this year, with the added financial resources from its customers and the Penn Community Foundation, BCOC will be able to provide additional resources to pantries that they don’t normally receive.”
“The need for fresh, healthy foods is so obvious but, unfortunately, can be forgotten in the standardization of traditional food drives. I am so proud of our customers and team members for stepping up and meeting the real needs of food pantries in our neighborhoods,” said Jeane Vidoni, President and CEO of Penn Community Bank and BCOC Board Chair. “Whether addressing food insecurity or financial literacy, Penn Community Bank is committed to engaging and educating our community on the challenges we face. Together we can make a difference.”
Nearly 1 in 10 Bucks County residents are classified as food insecure, according to data from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap project, which means that more than 50,000 county residents do not have reliable access to food every day. More than 12 percent of Bucks County’s children – about 16,640 – are food insecure, and more than half of those are not eligible for most federal nutrition programs because their households have incomes above 185 percent of the poverty line (about $46,000 for a family of four.)
Supporting efforts to end hunger locally is one of Penn Community Bank’s four main priorities for charitable giving. To learn more, see our Community Impact Report.
About Penn Community Bank: Penn Community Bank holds more than $2 billion in assets, employs more than 300 people, and offers banking, lending, insurance and investments at 25 bank branches and two administrative centers throughout Bucks and Montgomery counties, Pennsylvania. As an independent, mutual financial institution, Penn Community Bank is not publicly traded and operates with its long-term mission in mind: to help businesses grow and prosper, to provide financial resources to individuals and families throughout their lifetimes, to strengthen the local economy, and to partner with local organizations to act as a catalyst for positive growth in every market it serves.