Connecticut Foodshare has received a charitable grant from KeyBank Foundation in the amount of $500,000 payable over three years. The funding will help Connecticut Foodshare elevate and progress the Mobile Pantry, its core direct service program. This “pantry on wheels” distributes food to those in need who lack direct proximity to a supermarket or food pantry or may not have a vehicle or the physical means to access other resources. Connecticut Foodshare currently operates over 100 Mobile Pantry sites statewide. In 2022, the program distributed 4.9 million pounds of food and served an average of 17,718 food-insecure households per month.
“Our mobile pantry program serves thousands of households per month with nutritious food including sought after items like produce. We are extremely grateful to our friends from KeyBank for supporting this vital resource to so many families in our state,” said Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare.
With grant funds from KeyBank Foundation, Connecticut Foodshare will apply a series of planned strategic improvements to the Mobile Pantry program, which will greatly benefit Hartford and New Haven Counties over the next three years. These progressive enhancements will foster a more holistic overall client experience that is consistent, dependable, accessible, welcoming, and inclusive to all those in need. In 2022, Connecticut Foodshare distributed 3.1 million pounds of food to an average of 12,377 households in Hartford and New Haven Counties per month. With KeyBank’s help, the food bank expects to increase distribution to at least 4.5 million pounds and reach more than 14,000 households per month this fiscal year.
“KeyBank is committed to partnering with community organizations whose mission it is to improve the lives of underserved populations and neighborhoods where we do business,” said Matthew Hummel, KeyBank Connecticut and Western Massachusetts Market President. “Connecticut Foodshare works tirelessly to fight hunger across the state, and we are proud to support their Mobile Pantry program to help reach all residents who struggle with food insecurity.”
KeyBank Foundation grants are made under Key’s National Community Benefits Plan established in 2017, which has already delivered more than $29 billion in lending and investments across Key’s national footprint supporting affordable housing and community development projects, home, and small business lending in low-and-moderate income communities, and philanthropic efforts targeted toward education, workforce development, and safe, vital neighborhoods.
On January 25th, KeyBank leaders and employees met with Connecticut Foodshare staff for a check presentation and to help sort and distribute food at the food bank’s Wallingford facility.
(Pictured L to R: Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare; Matthew Hummel, KeyBank Connecticut and Western Massachusetts Market President; Renee Santos, Food Pantry Coordinator at Cathedral of Saint Joseph, Hartford, CT; Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz; Hector L. Velazquez Jr., Family Engagement Coordinator at Church Street School, Hamden, CT.)
About Connecticut Foodshare:
Connecticut Foodshare is the food bank serving the people of Connecticut and a member of the national
Feeding America network. Last year, Connecticut Foodshare distributed enough food to provide 37.5 million meals through a network of more than 650 community-based hunger relief programs, including food pantries, meal programs and mobile distribution sites, while also working on long-term solutions to food insecurity. Thousands of volunteers help power the work of Connecticut Foodshare, and last year, they gave more than 46,000 hours of service. To learn more visit www.ctfoodshare.org.
About KeyBank Foundation:
KeyBank Foundation serves to fulfill KeyBank’s purpose to help clients and communities thrive, and its
mission is to support organizations and programs that prepare people for thriving futures. The Foundation’s mission is advanced through three funding priorities – neighbors, education, and workforce – and through community service. To provide meaningful philanthropy that transforms lives, KeyBank Foundation listens carefully to understand the unique characteristics and needs of its communities and then backs solutions with targeted philanthropic investments. KeyBank Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation, funded by KeyCorp.
About KeyBank/KeyCorp
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 $189.8 billion as of December 31, 2022. 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 approximately 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.