BankRI Announces Food Drive to Help Local Pantries

BankRI Announces Food Drive to Help Local Pantries

Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) has announced that to help those in need, it will host a 7-week food drive in each of its 18 branches across the state to benefit local food pantries. The drive begins on August 1 and runs through September 20, helping pantries fill a vital gap during the late summer when the need further increases.

“Holding our food drive towards the end of the summer when children no longer have access to summer meal programs and are still a few weeks from receiving meals at school will help a lot of families,” said Mark J. Meiklejohn, President and CEO of BankRI. “Our customers and staff are known for giving back, and I know they will respond generously to this effort to help pantries replenish their shelves.”

Lending a helping hand

Over the past few years, hunger in the Ocean State has grown to its highest level on record. Rhode Island has the highest rate of food insecurity among New England states according to the USDA. And each month, more than 66,000 Rhode Islanders turn to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s network of emergency food programs to help put food on the table for their families.

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For the drive, every BankRI branch has partnered with a food pantry that serves its community, ensuring that all of the food collected will remain local to feed area residents. Each food pantry is a member of the Food Bank’s network of emergency food programs. All BankRI locations will have prominently placed food collection bins in their lobbies. Members of the community are encouraged to donate items most-needed by partnering food pantries, including: canned fruits and vegetables, canned soups and stews, pasta, breakfast cereals, brown rice, and proteins such as peanut butter, tuna, and canned and dried beans.

For more information on BankRI branch locations, go here.

The Bank’s branches and benefiting pantries are:

• Coventry: Coventry Community Food Bank
• Cranston (Atwood Ave., Park Ave., Plainfield Pike): Comprehensive Community Action
• East Greenwich: East Greenwich Interfaith Food Cupboard
• East Providence (Taunton Ave., South Broadway): East Bay Community Action Program
• Johnston: Tri-Town Community Action Agency
• North Kingstown: Family Service of RI Food Pantry
• Pawtucket: Blackstone Valley Emergency Food Center
• Providence (East Side, Turks Head): Providence In-Town Churches Association Food Pantry
• Smithfield: St. Vincent dePaul Food Pantry at St. Philip Church
• Warwick (Buttonwoods, Centerville Rd., Warwick Ave.): Westbay Community Action Program
• Woonsocket and Lincoln: Connecting for Children & Families