To help incentivize employees to get their COVID-19 booster shot and raise money for charity, Bank of America in Miami and Fort Lauderdale recently donated $120,000 to help support Feeding South Florida. Bank of America provided $100 for each bank employee who recorded a COVID-19 vaccine booster and the money raised will provide 1,080,000 meals to Feeding South Florida to address food insecurity in the region.
Feeding South Florida is the fifth-largest food bank in the United States and Florida’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization serving 25% of the state’s food insecure population throughout Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. The bank has been a partner of Feeding South Florida since 2010 and has provided the organization with nearly a million in financial support. The company encouraged staff to get COVID-19 vaccinations since summer 2021 and has offered incentives such as paid time-off and $500 credits towards health benefit premiums. In partnership with local nonprofits, Bank of America also distributed more than 38 million masks, 41,000 cases of hand sanitizer and 11 million gloves in local communities as part of its ongoing efforts to address health-related disparities accelerated by the pandemic.
“As the pandemic continues to impact Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, food banks and hunger relief organizations such as Feeding South Florida are experiencing increased demand and higher costs to meet the needs of individuals and families,” Gene Schaefer says, Bank of America Miami president. “Our commitment to help strengthen the communities we live in and serve is unwavering, which is why we are investing in the health, safety, and wellbeing of our teammates while also providing funds to help local organizations support our neighbors and fight food insecurity.”
It is estimated that one in nine South Floridians are food insecure, with over 700,000 people not knowing from where they will get their next meal, according to Feeding South Florida. As the pandemic continues, hunger relief organizations in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties and across the country face ongoing challenges, such as increased demand for their services and rising food prices. This donation will allow Feeding South Florida to continue its programming, including culinary and warehouse training, a Mobile FARMacy and hospital pantries and home delivery programs.
“We are incredibly grateful to Bank of America for its generous donation to help us put food on the table for South Florida families who need it the most,” Paco Vélez says, president and CEO of Feeding South Florida. “This donation comes at a critical time when the demand for food has increased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation at its highest in 13 years, and the cost of food rising.”
