Grant is Part of Company’s Commitment to Help Provide 82 Million Meals Nationwide to Families in Need
Neptune, NJ, December 18, 2020 – Wells Fargo surprised representatives from Fulfill Food Bank serving the Jersey Shore with a $50,000 donation to assist the organization with its ongoing efforts to address food insecurity in the region. The donation is in addition to the $25,000 Wells Fargo previously donated to Fulfill earlier in 2020.
“We are acutely aware of the strain that the pandemic has put on families across the state of New Jersey,” said Wanda Saez, SVP, Social Impact and Sustainability for Wells Fargo. “This donation is a meaningful way that we can help support our community and ensure that no family in our region has to worry about meeting the most basic need of putting food on their tables during the holidays.”
Wells Fargo has a deep commitment to support people facing hunger through its long-standing relationship with Feeding America®, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States, and its affiliate organizations, which includes Fulfill.
“This donation will enable us to provide 150,000 meals to our neighbors in need in Monmouth and Ocean counties who have fallen on hard times,” said Fulfill CEO and President Kim Guadagno, the former Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. “We thank Wells Fargo for the additional funding this holiday season as well as for the support they provided to us earlier in the year to address the critical issue of food insecurity.”
Fulfill has served an additional 3 million meals since the pandemic hit the Jersey Shore. Pre-COVID, Fulfill was serving 136,000 people, 50,000 of them children. Fulfill has seen a 40% increase in the demand for food since the onset of the crisis. Today, Fulfill is feeding 215,000 people, 70,000 of them are children.
Earlier this year, Wells Fargo launched a nationwide Drive-Up Food Bank program, in which the company helped reach families facing hunger due to the COVID-19 pandemic by working with local Feeding America member food banks to distribute food at some of the company’s branches and corporate locations. To extend this effort during the holidays, Wells Fargo is directing grants as part of its “Many Hearts. One Community.” holiday campaign to Feeding America food banks around the country — ensuring there is food on the tables for people who need it most — and fulfilling upon the company’s commitment to help provide 82 million meals* to families in need. Wells Fargo’s “Many Hearts. One Community.” holiday campaign can be found on the company’s social media channels and Wells Fargo Stories.