Bank To Bank: BankNewport Donates $100k To RI Food Bank

NEWPORT, RI — The Rhode Island Community Food Bank distributed more than 11 million pounds of food in 2019, but now, as the coronavirus outbreak creates a deepening crisis of food security in the state, the organization says it has received a major boost in the form of a $100,000 donation.

The money comes from a different kind of bank. A bank bank. Specifically, BankNewport.

"It is so important that we support the organizations that are working tirelessly to provide aid to our neighbors in need,” said BankNewport President Sandra J. Pattie in a news release announcing the donation. "The Rhode Island Community Food Bank is a critical part of this fight and we are humbled to have the opportunity to assist in their continued work to ensure that no one goes hungry during this unprecedented time."

Indeed, this isn't a normal time for the food bank. The food bank typically distributes one million pounds of food every month. In an April 23 video update, Food Bank CEO Andrew Schiff said that the organization and its partners had donated 1.3 million pounds, or "about a third more food than we normally would." In addition, the food bank has distributed about 180,000 meals provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

With schools closed, the food bank has also moved to replace the meals that students would otherwise be eating in the course of their education; The effort includes more than 3,000 Meals4Kids boxes, which holds a week’s worth of lunches and snacks for kids, the news release noted.

To find a food bank location near you, start here at the Rhode Island Food Bank website.