Treasure Coast Food Bank receives grant from PNC Foundation for meals in Okeechobee

Posted 1/28/21

Treasure Coast Food Bank has received a $20,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to provide 160,000 meals.

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Treasure Coast Food Bank receives grant from PNC Foundation for meals in Okeechobee

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OKECHOBEE — Treasure Coast Food Bank has received a $20,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to provide 160,000 meals in Okeechobee County.

Food will be delivered through more Mobile Food Pantry distributions and home deliveries, and the PNC grant will help cover costs associated with transporting food to partner agencies in Okeechobee County.

“PNC understands the significant impact that the coronavirus pandemic is having on many of our consumers throughout Okeechobee County,” said Cressman Bronson, PNC Bank regional president for South Florida. “We recognize our role as a pillar of the communities we serve, and we are actively working with those affected, providing a variety of solutions that make the most sense for meeting their particular needs, such as these mobile food pantries. Now more than ever, it is critical to support our communities through organizations like the Treasure Coast Food Bank.”

Okeechobee County is one of the most rural counties in the state and among the places that Treasure Coast Food Bank serves with the greatest need.

“For families already struggling, COVID-19 only increased their burden, and for many others, the pandemic caused them to seek emergency food assistance for the first time in their lives,” said Judith Cruz, President and CEO of Treasure Coast Food Bank. “We’re grateful to the PNC Foundation for this grant to help us provide more food and other assistance to Okeechobee residents in need.”

Even before the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, 84 percent of Okeechobee County’s population had incomes low enough to qualify for food assistance, and more than 13 percent of its residents don’t know where their next meal is coming from, according to the national Map the Meal Gap study.

Since the pandemic shuttered businesses and schools and put many out of work, Treasure Coast Food Bank has increased its no-contact home deliveries and Mobile Pantries, serving more than 1,000 households at each one held in Okeechobee County.

For more information about the PNC Foundation, visit www.PNC.com. To learn more about Treasure Coast Food Bank or to seek help, visit stophunger.org.

TCFB, treasure, coast, food, bva

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