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Woodforest Charitable Foundation donates $4,550 to Maryland Food Bank

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BALTIMORE, MD – Woodforest Charitable Foundation donated a total of $4,550 to Maryland Food Bank’s two operating facilities. The funds will assist the Food Bank’s efforts of eliminating childhood hunger.

The economic downturn that has caused millions of Americans to lose their jobs, homes and sense of financial well-being has also produced a dramatic increase in the number of people who go to bed hungry at night.  Currently, more than 205,000 children in the Food Bank’s service area are at risk of hunger.  The Maryland Food Bank combats childhood through its At Risk Supper and Backpack Programs.

The Food Bank’s At Risk Supper Program provides free meals and snacks to low-income children through a variety of community locations.  In addition to providing meals, the Program offers a safe place, where under the supervision of trustworthy staff, a child can get involved in educational, recreational and social activities.  Maryland Food Bank currently operates six At Risk Supper Programs that feed more than 500 children each day.

The Backpack Program provides bags full of food to children eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school.  Backpacks are handed out on Fridays and children take them home to share with their families over the weekend.  The program began when teachers noticed children returning to school on Monday unable to concentrate because they had not eaten all weekend.  In 2009, the Maryland Food Bank distributed 9,360 backpacks to needy children.

“In Fiscal Year 2010, our organization distributed over 18.6 million pounds of food to hungry Marylanders across the state,” said Deborah Flateman, CEO of Maryland Food Bank.  “We are truly grateful for Woodforest Charitable Foundation’s generosity, which will sustain the work of the Maryland Food Bank.”

The Food Bank was founded in 1979 to coordinate the procurement and distribution of food donations from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and government agencies to organizations providing free food to the state's hungry.  The Maryland Food Bank operates from two facilities: one in Baltimore, serving all Maryland counties except Montgomery and Prince George's, and one in Salisbury, serving the Eastern Shore.

For more information about Maryland Food Bank’s Youth Programs, please visit wwww.mdfoodbank.org or call (410) 737-8282.

The Woodforest Charitable Foundation was created by Woodforest National Bank in 2005 as a direct result of its desire to support and invest in the communities in which it serves.  The Foundation is creating a legacy of commitment to those in need, enriching lives and communities through dedicated leadership and faithful administration by providing funding to qualifying 501(c)(3) charities.  For additional information regarding The Woodforest Charitable Foundation, call (832) 375-CARE (2273) or visit the Foundation’s website at www.woodforestcharitablefoundation.org.

Celebrating 30 years of service and ranked among the top earning banks in the United States, the Woodforest family of banks currently has assets of approximately $3.2 billion and services more than 850,000 customers with branches in excess of 750 throughout seventeen states:  Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.  For information about Woodforest National Bank, please call 832-375-2000 or visit the bank’s website at www.woodforest.com.