Milford, Del. (August 4, 2008) – The Food Bank of Delaware received a grant in the amount of $3,990 from the Comcast Foundation today. The grant money is a direct result of Comcast Cares Day, Comcast’s annual, nationwide day of community service, and will be used to fund mobile pantry and direct feeding programs in Kent and Sussex Counties.
The Comcast Foundation donated the grant on behalf of each Comcast employee or family member that volunteered at the Food Bank on Saturday, May 3 for the company’s annual day of service – 120 Comcast volunteers packed 600 emergency meal boxes with food and supplies to benefit senior citizens throughout Kent and Sussex Counties.
‘I am very happy that Comcast and the Food Bank of Delaware have partnered together,’ says Food Bank of Delaware Milford Branch Manager, Crystal Timmons. ‘Through Comcast’s generous support we can help many individuals in our community and work to make Delaware hunger-free.’
‘Comcast Cares Day is part of a year-round commitment to improving the quality of life in the communities where our customers and employees live and work,’ said Bruce Abbott, area vice president for Comcast. ‘The Comcast Foundation grant commemorates Comcast’s partnership with the Food Bank of Delaware on Comcast Cares Day and beyond.’
The Milford Branch of the Food Bank of Delaware operates mobile pantries throughout Kent and Sussex Counties each year. With the Mobile Pantry program, a Food Bank truck travels to a designated site in an underserved area during hours when clients find it easier to receive assistance. Thirty-pound meal boxes consisting of enough household food staples, produce and meats for four individuals for up to four meals are distributed. In fiscal year 2008, the organization distributed 97,451 pounds of food to families and individuals in need through the Mobile Pantry program.
In response to the slowing economy and high food and gasoline prices, the Food Bank of Delaware Milford branch opened its doors to the public in September 2008 with a Direct Feeding program. More than 70 low-income families are served on a weekly basis through the program. Individuals and families receive an emergency food box with enough food to last four to five days. Since the program’s inception, 2,133 families have received assistance.
About the Food Bank of Delaware
The Food Bank of Delaware distributes between seven and 10 million pounds of food and grocery products each year to more than 350 member agencies and feeding sites throughout the state and also provides thousands of meals a month for children through the After-School Feeding Program, the Summer Food Service Program and the Backpack Program. The Food Bank’s hunger-relief programs directly provide for almost 90,000 Delawareans at risk of going without meals each year. For more information about the Food Bank of Delaware, visit: @link href=’http://www.fbd.org’>www.fbd.org/link or call (302) 292-1305.
About the Comcast Foundation
The Comcast Foundation was established by Comcast Corporation in 1999 to provide charitable support to Section 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact in the areas of volunteerism, literacy, and youth leadership development. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated more than $43 million to organizations in the communities that Comcast serves nationwide.
More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at: @link href=’http://www.comcast.com/neighborhood’>www.comcast.com/neighborhood/link
