A Louisiana-based banking institution has pledged to donate $25,000 to five metro Atlanta food banks working to keep families fed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Five charities will each receive $5,000 from Iberiabank: Atlanta Community Food Bank, Buckhead Christian Ministry, Giving Kitchen, MUST Ministries and North Fulton Community Charities.
The donation is part of Iberiabank’s donation of $500,000 to local food banks across its service area. It has branches in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, New York and South Carolina.
Holly York, executive director of North Fulton Community Charities, said the organization is “thrilled” with the donation.
York said North Fulton Community Charities, which serves the cities of Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton and Roswell, has seen a 320% increase in requests for services since closing its doors to work remotely. Thirty percent of those clients are receiving help for the first time, such as the “hair dresser, restaurant manager, and teaching assistant all cut off from steady wages just a few days earlier,” she said.
The $5,000 will help NFCC provide an Instacart-style ordering system for pantry and food items to about 100 families a day.
Bryan Schoeder, executive director of Atlanta-based Giving Kitchen, which provides emergency assistance to food service workers, said the company was “delighted” to receive the donation from the bank.
“It is heartbreaking to see so many people negatively affected by this world-wide pandemic,” said Rodney Hall, executive vice president and president of Iberiabank’s Atlanta market. “Our priority is to provide support to our associates, clients and communities. Our local food banks are short on supplies and working non-stop to provide food to those in need. We thank those who are dedicated to keeping the food banks fully operational and supporting this great need in our community.”
