--News Direct--
CLEVELAND, July 27, 2021 /3BLMedia/ – The KeyBank Foundation is making a $1.5 million donation to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank (GCFB) to help in its mission to bridge the meal gap and connect individuals with nutritious food and related services. Funding will go toward the GCFB’s expansion project, which includes construction of a new facility on Coit Road in Collinwood. The new building will help the GCFB reach both individuals in need and more than 1,000 partner organizations it serves in Northeast Ohio. The GCFB will also repurpose its existing facility on South Waterloo Road to connect clients with vital social services aimed at addressing and alleviating the root causes of food insecurity.
This transformative grant is part of KeyBank’s $40 billion National Community Benefits Plan and is symbolic of the bank’s longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in its home market of Northeast Ohio and all of the communities it serves.
“Simply put, it is unacceptable that anyone in any community should go hungry. Fighting food insecurity is crucial to ensure that Northeast Ohio and all of the communities we serve are healthy, inclusive and vibrant,” said Timothy Burke, KeyBank Northeast Ohio Market President. “We are proud to support the Greater Cleveland Food Bank as they work to distribute food more efficiently and strengthen collaborations with partners. Most importantly, this grant will help in work that is underway to solve the root causes of food insecurity that contribute to economic instability in our community.”
“We are grateful for the KeyBank Foundation’s amazing generosity and joining us in our efforts to address food insecurity with this donation,” said Kristin Warzocha, Greater Cleveland Foodbank President and CEO. “As a community foodbank, we rely on a strong public-private partnership to serve our clients every day. With the expansion, this partnership and support from organizations like KeyBank are more important than ever in our fight against hunger in the counties we serve.”
As the largest distributor of emergency food in Northeast Ohio, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank provides critical food resources across a six-county service area through direct distribution and in collaboration with 1,000+ partner agencies.
The community’s need and the GCFB’s reach have increased significantly since they opened their current facility in 2005 – they have tripled food distribution, quintupled meal production, and are operating far beyond their space’s capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the urgency of the services and further stretched GCFB’s resources. Today, one in every six people in Northeast Ohio experiences food insecurity.
Watch this video to learn more about how the GCFB helps fight hunger in Northeast Ohio: How We Fight Hunger.
Since 2000, KeyBank and the KeyBank Foundation have provided more than $825,000 in support to the GCFB. KeyBank teammates have also volunteered their time to help this organization serve those in need.
ABOUT KEYBANK
KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $181.1 billion at June 30, 2021. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of more than 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
ABOUT THE GREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK
For over 40 years, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank has worked to ensure everyone in our communities has the nutritious food they need every day. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio, serving clients and partnering with organizations in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Ashland and Richland counties. For more information about the Food Bank and to get involved, visit https://www.greaterclevelandfoodbank.org
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