IOWA HEALTHIEST STATE INITIATIVE RECEIVES $25,000 THROUGH BANK OF AMERICA COVID-19 EMPLOYEE BOOSTER INITIATIVE
By Jami Haberl on Sunday, February 13, 2022
To help fight hunger in Des Moines, Bank of America donated $100 for each bank employee who recorded a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in addition to a company contribution
DES MOINES – Bank of America today announced a $25,000 donation to Iowa Healthiest State Initiative, supporting the organization’s Double Up Food Bucks program to address food insecurity in the region.
According to Feeding America, 297,800 people face hunger in Iowa with 94,270 of them being children. As the pandemic continues, hunger relief organizations in Iowa and across the country are facing ongoing challenges such as increased demand for their services and rising food prices.
Bank of America is supporting its employees’ health and safety while addressing one of the local communities’ most critical needs. Earlier this year, the company announced it would make a $100 donation to local hunger relief organizations and food banks for each employee in Iowa who received a COVID-19 booster shot or vaccine and notified the bank before the end of January. The company made an additional contribution to address the increased need experienced by hunger relief organizations across the country. Bank of America previously provided $25,000 in funding to Iowa Healthiest State Initiative in support of local hunger relief efforts during the pandemic.
Iowa Healthiest State Initiative is a nonprofit organization driven by the goal to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation. The Double Up Food Bucks program is a SNAP-incentive program in Iowa that matches food assistance dollars 1:1 on purchases of fresh produce at participating farmers markets and grocery stores. This program has served 67 counties, benefited 173,074 Iowans, and provided 2,716,329 servings of produce.
“The Double Up Food Bucks program has helped our community now more than ever due to the pandemic, for those in need of food assistance in Iowa,” says Jami Haberl, executive director, Iowa Healthiest State Initiative. “We’re thankful for the support that we’ve received from Bank of America so that we can continue our mission to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation.”
With help from the bank’s donation, Iowa Healthiest State Initiative’s program Double Up Food Bucks is providing food resources to individuals and families throughout Iowa. The bank has been a longtime partner of Iowa Healthiest State Initiative, including for the 2020 Bank of America Student Leaders program.
“Having organizations such as Iowa Healthiest State Initiative and their Double Up Food Bucks program, shows how our community comes together to solve a need as the pandemic continues to impact Iowa,” said Heidi Parkhurst, president, Bank of America Iowa. “Bank of America’s commitment to help strengthen the communities we live in and serve is unwavering, which is why we are investing in the
health, safety, and wellbeing of our teammates while also providing funds to help local organizations, such as Iowa Healthiest State Initiative, to support our neighbors and fight food insecurity.”
Bank of America committed to donating a minimum of $25,000 to each of the company’s 93 markets as part its vaccine booster effort. Because vaccination boosters and reporting are voluntary and additional company contributions are reflected in the final amount, actual donation amounts differ from the number of boosters reported by bank employees.
The company has encouraged staff to get COVID-19 vaccinations since summer 2021 and has offered incentives such as paid time-off and $500 credits towards health benefit premiums. In partnership with local nonprofits, Bank of America has also distributed more than 38 million masks, 41,000 cases of hand sanitizer, and 11 million gloves in local communities as part of its ongoing efforts to address health-related disparities accelerated by the pandemic.
About Iowa Healthiest State Initiative
The Healthiest State Initiative is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization driven by the goal to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation. By engaging worksites, communities, schools, retail food, organizations, institutions and individuals, we can inspire Iowans and their communities to improve their health and happiness, and ultimately achieve our goal. For more information, visit www.iowahealthieststate.com.
About Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).
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