They say there is no such thing as a free lunch but Bank of America Associates are giving that a whole different meaning and demonstrating their spirit of goodwill this holiday by donating the money they would normally spend on lunch to Tarrant Area Food Bank. Associates have been collecting and saving their lunch money in specially marked brown bags that will be given to food bank representatives. Additionally, the bank also announces a $100,000 contribution towards the Tarrant Area Food Bank food programs.

“Bank of America remains focused on providing relevant, meaningful support to help individuals and families navigate difficult times,” said Mike Pavell, Fort Worth Market President for Bank of America. “In these times of a tightened economy and jobless rates increasing, the need is even greater to help feed families in the local communities in Tarrant County. We are proud to support the Tarrant Area Food Bank both financially and through the dedication and efforts of our associates, at a time when nonprofits are struggling to provide significantly increased services to thousands of families who are having enormous difficulty making ends meet.”

According to a recent survey released by Feeding America, demand at their food banks increased an average of 30 percent last year.

Founded in 1982 as a nonprofit clearinghouse for donated food, Tarrant Area Food Bank is the primary source of food for 300 major hunger-relief programs in Fort Worth and13 surrounding counties. Each month, this network of charities provides emergency groceries to more than 40,000 households and serves 625,000 meals and snacks on their own sites. During the past year (2009), the number of families served by pantries increased 25 percent. For more information, please visit www.tafb.org, or call 817-332-9177.

WHO:

Denise Semple, 817.332/9177, ext. 141
denise.semple@tafb.org