M&T Bank Backs Chester Co. Food Bank With $10K Donation

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — M&T Bank has committed $30,000 to three food banks in the Greater Philadelphia area, including the Chester County Food Bank.

The funding is intended to meet the needs of food-insecure families and those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the region.

Funding has been split equally between three organizations; Chester County Food Bank, Broad Street Ministry, and the Food Bank of South Jersey. Collectively the organizations impact more than 500,000 people in the region.

“As a community bank, we are profoundly aware of the ramifications the pandemic has had on our customers and communities,” said Bernie Shields, Regional President for M&T Bank in Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.

“We feel a responsibility to support individuals adversely impacted by these unprecedented times, particularly when our employee volunteers are unable to lend a hand in person.”

Demand for food due to food insecurity brought on by the pandemic has increased an average of 55 percent in Chester, Philadelphia and southern New Jersey counties, according to projections from Feeding America. The organizations supported by M&T run a variety of initiatives to meet the needs of the community, including:

• Chester County Food Bank prioritizes access to fresh, locally grown food for members of the community, coupled with nutrition education. It serves as the largest food bank in the county, with more than 30 food pantries, senior centers, and social service organizations as distribution channels for those experiencing episodic and long-term food insecurity.
• Broad Street Ministries serves meals to over 250 adults five times a week in an indoor, family style setting, illustrating their motto that there is “always enough for everybody.” Currently serving more than 3,000 Philadelphians, Broad Street Ministries assists individuals through a trauma-informed approach to decrease anxiety and foster trust. In addition to food services, the organization provides guests access to critical care and stabilizing services.
• Food Bank of South Jersey provides an immediate solution to the urgent problem of hunger by providing food to people in need, teaching them to eat nutritiously, and helping them find sustainable ways to improve their lives. More than 200 partner agencies, including pantries, soup kitchens and other programs, distribute food provided by the food bank, targeting different groups of people such as children, seniors, veterans, and families. The organization recently established a Mobile Cafe that allows it to schedule multiple-meal drops at a variety of venues, delivering nearly 500,000 meals this year.

This $30,000 commitment is among the $1.5 million M&T will contribute to community groups in the Philadelphia region this year and follows the bank's $50,000 contribution in April to United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey in support of at-risk individuals affected by the current crisis.

M&T Bank Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York.