SAN JOSE, Calif. & HILLSBORO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--First Tech Federal Credit Union, the nation’s eighth largest credit union, announced today that it contributed more than $2.7 million this year to over 120 nonprofit organizations across California, Oregon and Washington. First Tech’s annual contribution is a result of its commitment to provide 2% of the annual net income to charitable organizations across its footprint, while simultaneously raising an additional $720,000 from dedicated employees and members this year.
Wrapping up its annual giving, First Tech ended the year by providing more than $450,000 to 40 organizations via its annual Innovation Grants program to help meet the food, shelter and safety needs of children and families. At a time when organizations see an increase in demand for services this program helps to expand access to critical resources and healthy food when communities need it most. In addition, First Tech hosted its annual Season of Giving campaign, which empowered employees to help direct $125,000 to 43 nonprofit organizations that they support through volunteerism and engagement. Both year-end giving initiatives are key to First Tech’s overall annual giving.
“With a strong commitment to food equity and innovation, we continue to invest in supporting the most vulnerable communities across our footprint,” said Greg Mitchell, President and CEO at First Tech Federal Credit Union. “Community is at the heart of everything we do. We are fortunate to work with a number of strong and innovative partners who join us in delivering positive change and benefits to the communities we serve.”
Community Partner Spotlights
According to a recent report by Feeding America, the projected rate of food insecurity among the overall population for 2021 reaches up to 29.2% in some parts of the country. Knowing that many families face increased levels of food insecurity during the holidays, First Tech worked closely with select organizations across the West Coast to combat this issue:
Valley Verde in California — $15,000 toward Food Sovereignty Rising
Valley Verde’s programs provide an innovative pathway to address food insecurity and food access through a model of food sovereignty. Their programs equip multiethnic communities to grow organic produce that is culturally relevant and preferred via home and school gardens. The funding will be used to support a number of initiatives including the Shared Garden Program, an extensive partnership with schools that serve a high percentage of low-income students and fosters a love for gardening among the children.
“Valley Verde has big goals to provide families with the tools they need to engage in food sovereignty practices to eliminate food insecurity for themselves and their children,” said Raul Lozano, Founder and Executive Director at Valley Verde. “This is a long-term goal and fortunately we have had continued support from First Tech Federal Credit Union throughout this process. We couldn't be more grateful for their support.”
Oregon Food Bank in Oregon — $75,000 toward Community Leadership and Civic Engagement
Oregon Food Bank works to eliminate hunger by distributing food equitably across the region and working on policies and programs to address the root causes of hunger. The nonprofit will utilize the donation to support their Community Leadership and Civic Engagement programs, ensuring that our communities most impacted by hunger have the tools and resources to change policies, guide advocacy and expand food access in their communities.
“We are grateful for the support from community partners such as First Tech as it enables us to continue building community connections to help people access nutritious, affordable food today and community power to eliminate the root causes of hunger for the future. Hunger is not an individual experience. It's a community-wide symptom of barriers to employment, housing, health care, climate and racial justice," shared Celia Ferrer, Oregon Food Bank Corporate and Community Relations Manager. "We believe that the community should be involved in solving this problem. In order to achieve transformational and systemic change, we know it is essential that we amplify the voices of our under-resourced community members and those with lived experience of hunger through community organizing, leadership development, and creating resilient food systems in their local economy.”
Urban Gleaners in Oregon — $20,000 toward 2022 Initiative to Fight Childhood Food Insecurity in Washington County
Urban Gleaners has a 15-year history of feeding children and families who are food insecure in Multnomah and Washington counties. They play a critical link between organizations and businesses that have excess food and the food insecure people who need this food. Their aim is to eliminate all barriers to free food and to work to eliminate environmental damage at every opportunity.
Bringing food to easily accessible locations within Washington county, the organization will enable weekly meal deliveries of fresh food and grocery items to their sites throughout the 2021-2022 school year and following summer as well as expand distribution sites and recover more than 900,000 pounds of food throughout the year.
EastWest Food Rescue in Washington — $13,000 toward Winter Produce Initiative
The organization will be putting First Tech’s donation toward their Winter Produce Purchase Program that will help support the acquisition of 900,000 pounds of excess produce from farmers, sourcing produce from Oregon and Washington farmers when possible, minimizing trucking and fuel consumption.
Explore some of First Tech’s other community partners below.
California First Tech Innovation Grant Partners:
- Second Harvest of Silicon Valley - $40,000
- Placer Food Bank - $15,000
- Sacred Heart Community Services - $7,500
Oregon First Tech Innovation Grant Partners:
- Raphael House - $22,000
- YWCA Clark County - $10,000
- Community Action - $10,000
Washington First Tech Innovation Grant Partners:
- Food Lifeline - $15,000
- Friends of the Children - $10,000
- Mary’s Place - $10,000
ABOUT FIRST TECH FEDERAL CREDIT UNION’S COMMUNITY COMMITMENT
First Tech Federal Credit Union is committed to supporting the next generation of leaders, thinkers and innovators. In 2020, First Tech provided $2.23 million in charitable giving and more than 77% of employees participated in community engagement; directing dollars and time to nonprofit partners who provide programs and services to children and families in need. First Tech’s philanthropic focus areas include support for education (STEM, early childhood literacy, financial education and scholarships), research (Credit Union for Kids and Supportive Health Service) and innovation (food, safety and shelter). Visit www.firsttechfed.com/community to learn more about the ways First Tech pays it forward throughout the year.
ABOUT FIRST TECH FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
First Tech Federal Credit Union is a $14+ billion institution headquartered in San Jose, California. It is the nation’s premier credit union serving the world’s leading technology-oriented companies and their employees, including HP Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft, Agilent, Intel, Cisco, Amazon, Nike, Intuit, Google, and more. First Tech is recognized as the industry catalyst for delivering effortless banking experiences to more than 720,000 members through its 33 branch locations, more than 5,600 CO-OP Shared Branch locations, 30,000 CO-OP Network ATMs, and online platforms. First Tech offers a full range of financial services, including traditional banking, online banking, mortgages, financial planning, various consumer loans, and insurance services. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Lender. For more information, visit www.firsttechfed.com.
