Lakeland Bank Joins the One Million Meals Campaign to End Hunger

Lakeland Bank is proud to have joined forces with NJBankers to promote the One Million Meals campaign, organized with the Community Foodbank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), which will support five of New Jersey’s food banks as charity partners: Community Foodbank of New Jersey, Fulfill, Food Bank of South Jersey, NORWESCAP, and Mercer Street Friends. The campaign aims to donate 200,000 meals every year for the next five years, providing one million meals to feed hungry seniors, parents, and children across the state. As part of the partnership, Lakeland Bank matched NJBankers’ commitment to provide 20,000 meals by donating $7,000 to the campaign in 2022.

Lakeland Bank’s associates were able to get involved and drive additional donations. Through the Bank’s “Wear Jeans” Program, associates had the opportunity to contribute a portion of their paycheck to this initiative in exchange for wearing jeans on Mondays. Associate donations were matched by the Bank and we are excited to report an additional $16,616 was donated, which equates to over 40,000 more meals to help fight hunger!

“We are proud to support our local communities and efforts to end food scarcity,” said Thomas Shara, President and CEO of Lakeland Bank. “During this holiday season, we joined iHeart Media’s ‘Stuff the Bus’ food drive campaign to benefit the Sussex County Division of Social Services and their Food Pantry as well. At Lakeland Bank, we are committed to serving, supporting, and helping all of our neighbors in need, and through the One Million Meals initiative with NJBankers, we can help even more food banks throughout the state of New Jersey.”

Food insecurity continues to be a challenge for New Jersey, and campaigns like this go a long way to help those who need it most. For more information on how to donate to the One Million Meals campaign, please visit the Community Foodbank of New Jersey.