LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dare to Care Food Bank and the Anthem Foundation are teaming up to fill a growing gap in volunteers and dollars needed to feed the rising number of people facing food insecurity in Kentuckiana. The Anthem Foundation has issued the Dollars For Doers Challenge to the entire 13-county region by matching every hour volunteered at Dare to Care through February 12 with a $10 donation. A family of four, for example, can generate $120 in matching funds through a three-hour volunteer shift.
Hunger and food insecurity are rising in the wake of COVID-19, leaving one in seven people in Kentuckiana worried about having enough food to put on the table. Dare to Care is also facing a shortage of volunteers to process, package and deliver food donations to those in need. Dare to Care Executive Director Brian Riendeau says that to meet the demand, at least 1,000 volunteer hours are needed each month, or four times current volunteer levels.
“Our community is hurting right now, and far too many families are out of work, frightened and worried about their next meal,” said Riendeau. “This challenge lets people turn badly needed volunteer hours into badly needed dollars from the Anthem Foundation. We’ve never needed volunteers any more than we do this winter and I know our community will respond.”
Dare to Care, the region’s Feeding America food bank serving 13 counties in Kentucky and Indiana, is currently distributing more than 2,000 meals each month, a number that’s expected to grow significantly as the pandemic’s economic fallout continues. Anthem has identified food insecurity as a primary focus of its community impact efforts, partnering with Feeding America, food banks and other nonprofit organizations on dozens of projects in Kentucky and across the country.
“This challenge is a powerful way for people to take action because every dollar donated translates into three meals thanks to Dare to Care’s purchasing power. Put another way, every hour someone volunteers at Dare to Care generates 30 meals for those in need,” said Dr. Jeff Reynolds, medical director for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky. “That tremendous impact is why we’ve long supported Dare to Care as part of our ongoing efforts to improve Kentucky lives and communities.”
Dare to Care has taken necessary measures to assure volunteer safety, including mandatory masks, social distancing, hand-washing, and other steps. In addition to its warehouses and kitchen, Dare to Care offers volunteer opportunities throughout Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana.
To participate in the Dollars For Doers Challenge, visit Volunteer.DaretoCare.org or call (502) 966-3821 now through Feb. 12, 2021. Anthem Foundation will automatically match every hour volunteered with a $10 donation to Dare to Care.
About Dare to Care
Dare to Care food Bank is a local nonprofit agency with a mission to lead the community to feed the hungry and conquer the cycle of need. In the past twelve months, Dare to Care distributed over 23 million meals in eight Kentucky and five Indiana counties. For more information, visit www.daretocare.org.
About Anthem Foundation
The Anthem Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. and through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes the organization’s commitment to improving lives and communities. Through strategic partnerships and programs, the Foundation addresses the social drivers that will help create a healthier generation of Americans in communities that Anthem, Inc. and its affiliated health plans serve. The Foundation focuses its funding on critical initiatives that make up its Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets: maternal health, diabetes prevention, cancer prevention, heart health and healthy, active lifestyles, behavioral health efforts and programs that benefit people with disabilities. The Foundation also coordinates the company’s year-round Dollars for Dollars program which provides a 100 percent match of associates’ donations, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Anthem Foundation, please visit http://www.anthem.foundation and its blog at https://medium.com/anthemfoundation.
