Ascentra Credit Union has contributed $50,000 to the River Bend Food Bank’s and the John Deere Foundation’s “Plowing a New Path to End Hunger” match campaign.
The campaign was created to close an almost $1.3 million funding gap that the regional food bank currently faces due to increased food insecurity and higher food costs.
“Food insecurity continues to grow in western Illinois and eastern Iowa communities,” Linda Andry, president and CEO of Ascentra Credit Union, said in a news release. “Helping the food bank meet the needs of our community is a perfect example of how credit unions are focused on people helping people – a motto in which our purpose is built upon.”
Lately, the food bank has been faced with having to purchase more food since the once steady supply of donated food from local retailers and private donors has vastly diminished.
Need for food climbing
According to statistics provided by the food bank, in just one year the need for food has increased 62% with a price hike of 18%. With the help of Ascentra’s donation and the match campaign, the food bank hopes to purchase an additional 6.5 million meals to close the funding gap for supporting our communities.
“We are extremely grateful for the generosity of Ascentra Credit Union and their commitment to ending hunger in our communities,” said Chris Ford, River Bend’s chief operating officer. “They serve as a great example of a community partnership that is looking out for their neighbors and ensuring their food needs are met. This is very commendable and something they should be very proud of.”
Ascentra has more than 42,000 members who count on the credit union to give back to their community for programs and organizations such as the River Bend Food Bank. They have been an ongoing supporter of the organization for many years. Ascentra has donated about $205,850 since 2015 for various programs, efforts and initiatives to end hunger.
“We are proud to support a proven organization who is actively fighting the fight against hunger in our community,” said Ms. Andry. “It is the most efficient way to put funds to work and make an immediate difference.”
Ascentra also participates in the Community Hunger Drive each February collecting funds and food donations at its nine branch locations. In 2023, nearly 1,000 pounds of food donations were collected.
