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Woodforest Charitable Foundation donates $3,300 to River Bend Foodbank

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MOLINE, IL – Woodforest Charitable Foundation recently donated $3,300 to River Bend Foodbank in support of their Kids Café and Backpack Programs.
                                        
Thought it’s often hidden from view, hunger is very real for thousands of families in Illinois.  It takes many forms, from a boy getting in trouble for rushing the lunch line at school, to a mom quietly skipping a meal so her daughter can eat.  The grant from Woodforest Charitable Foundation will help fight hunger among the state's poverty-stricken children.

About 40 percent of the people served through the Foodbank are children, and one of its key programs is its Backpack Program that sends 1,200 Quad-City schoolchildren home with food for the weekend.  Every Friday students are discreetly provided a small package with about eight items that include canned fruit, chili, soup or stew, milk and cereal, costing $4.  The backpack program currently operates in 17 schools in Rock Island, East Moline, Silvis, Moline and Davenport counties.

Through Kids Cafe, at risk youth receive a hot nutritious meal every weekday after school, a meal they may not get without the program.  The program was developed nationally by Feeding America and has been implemented locally by River Bend Foodbank since 1995.  The Foodbank works with a variety of nonprofit agencies that are committed to fighting childhood hunger, providing over 45,000 after-school meals each year.  “This donation will help restock the shelves at our Kids Café and Backpack Program sites,” said Tom Laughlin, River Bend Foodbank.  “We are so thankful for the Foundation’s generous support.”

River Bend Foodbank, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, collects wholesome donations of food from the food industry for distribution to more than 300 charitable community organizations that support the hungry.  The Foodbank’s service area includes the Quad Cities and 22 counties in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

For more information about River Bend Foodbank, please call (309) 764-7434 or visit www.riverbendfoodbank.org.

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.