BankRI Food Drive Results in More than 40,000 Pounds for Local Food Pantries

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – To help restock the shelves of local food pantries during the late summer, a time when donations tend to slow but the need for food assistance remains high, Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) launched its annual food drive on August 1 at each of its 19 branches across the state. The 7-week effort wrapped up on September 19, resulting in more than 40,000 pounds of food for local pantries thanks to the generosity of customers and staff.

For the drive, which also coincided with September as Hunger Action Month, each BankRI branch partnered with a food pantry that serves its community, ensuring that all of the food collected would remain local to feed area residents. In addition to food collected at the branches, BankRI awarded each pantry a financial grant to help them acquire additional food.

All of the benefiting food pantries are members of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s network of emergency food providers. And, each month, the Food Bank’s network serves upwards of 63,000 Rhode Islanders.

“Too many people across our state—adults and children alike—are unsure where their next meal will come from,” said Mark J. Meiklejohn, President and CEO of BankRI. “Our annual food drive is an opportunity to help our neighbors; I’m extremely proud of how our customers and staff came together in support of such an important cause.”

According to a report by the USDA, 1 in 7 Rhode Island households struggle to put food on the table, underscoring the importance of food drives like BankRI’s in helping the Food Bank and its network.

“Support from community partners, like BankRI, its customers and staff, will help ensure that no Rhode Islander goes hungry,” said Andrew Schiff, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. “Their grant to our member agencies is particularly important because it will enable them to acquire healthy food, when they need it, so they can keep up with the demand.”

About Bank Rhode Island
Bank Rhode Island, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL), is a full-service, FDIC-insured financial institution headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. The bank operates 19 branches and more than 60 ATMs throughout Providence, Kent and Washington Counties. For more information, visit www.BANKRHODEISLAND.com.

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