Fifty-Five Westfield Insurance and BB&T Insurance Services
Transcription
Fifty-Five Westfield Insurance and BB&T Insurance Services
Contact: Jenny Moore Development Manager, PR & Marketing, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC 336.784.5770 [email protected] Carl Alexoff External Communications Manager, Westfield Insurance 330.887.6059 [email protected] Gail Theard Senior VP BB&T Insurance 336.783.8880 [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Fifty-Five Westfield Insurance and BB&T Insurance Services Employees Provide More Than 35,000 Meals to the People of Northwest North Carolina Winston-Salem, NC- April 23, 2015- On Thursday, April 16 the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC welcomed 55 employees from Westfield Insurance and BB&T International Services for a full day volunteer activity. “Volunteers are essential to the work of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC. We simply could not do all of the things we do to provide food and hope to those in need across our 18-county service area without our loyal volunteers,” said Clyde Fitzgerald, Second Harvest’s executive director. “To illustrate this important fact, consider that, for calendar year 2014, our total volunteer hours were equivalent to having an additional 22 full-time employees! We are deeply grateful that Westfield Insurance and BB&T Insurance Services have chosen to partner with us in a community service / volunteer event. These dedicated efforts will truly make a difference in the lives of many in need across the region.” Through the course of the day, volunteers sorted more than 25,000 pounds of canned and boxed food. They also inspected eggs under special lights to guarantee freshness. “Part of BB&T’s mission is to make our communities better places to be, and we believe partnering with the Second Harvest Food Bank is an excellent place to start,” said Gail Theard, agency executive with BB&T Insurance Services, Inc. “BB&T has a longstanding relationship with Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC and couldn’t be more pleased to support it in its efforts to eliminate hunger in Northwest North Carolina.” In addition to providing volunteers, Westfield also contributed $5,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank. “At the end of the day, insurance is about helping others at the time they are most in need,” said Ed Largent, Westfield Insurance Leader and President. “Partnering with Second Harvest is a great way to do that; support the communities in which we operate.” Second Harvest Food Bank is a proud member of Feeding America. In 2013-2014, Second Harvest distributed more than 25 million pounds of donated, purchased and prepared foods, the equivalent of more than 21 million meals. Across Northwest NC, 1 in 6 people struggle with hunger. The situation is even worse among our children, with more than 1 in 4 children lacking access to sufficient food to meet their nutritional needs. We are particularly focused on the issue of childhood hunger, through targeted programs that focus on reaching children in need after school, over weekends and school holidays, and in the summer. These programs include the BackPack program, commemorating 10 years of making hunger-free weekends possible for children in need across our region. Volunteers play a vital, hands-on role in the success of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC's mission. To schedule a volunteer effort like the employees that volunteered on April 16 or to learn more about Second Harvest please visit http://www.hungernwnc.org/getinvolved/volunteer.html. About Westfield Insurance Westfield Insurance is a part of Westfield Group, a customer-focused insurance and banking group of businesses headquartered in Westfield Center, Ohio and in business for more than 167 years. Westfield Insurance provides commercial insurance in 21 states, personal insurance in 10 states and surety services to customers in 38 states. Westfield is one of the nation’s 50 largest property and casualty insurance groups, represented by a network of more than 1,000 independent insurance agencies. Westfield Insurance was named to the 2014 Ward’s 50 list of top performing insurance companies and as a Top Workplace in Northeast Ohio. Westfield Bank provides banking solutions for businesses and individuals, and Westfield Services provides service and training support for independent insurance agencies. Learn more about Westfield Group at www.WestfieldInsurance.com and www.Westfield-Bank.com. About BB&T Insurance Holdings Raleigh, N.C.-based BB&T Insurance Holdings, the fifth largest insurance broker in the U.S. and internationally, is a wholly owned subsidiary of BB&T Corporation. BB&T Insurance Holdings operates more than 100 insurance agencies through subsidiaries BB&T Insurance Services, BB&T Insurance Services of California, and McGriff, Seibels & Williams. Visit http://insurance.BBT.com to learn more. About Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC is the leading hunger-relief organization for an 18 county service area (Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yadkin. Iredell), working in partnership with more than 400 local food assistance programs that include food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and special feeding programs for children and seniors. Together, we provide critical nutritional support for nearly 300,000 neighbors in need each year, including 100,000 children, as we passionately pursue an end to hunger through outreach, education and advocacy. Special Second Harvest Food Bank programs include special initiatives to combat childhood hunger, the Triad Community Kitchen culinary job training program, Nutrition Education Services and others. To learn more, visit www.hungernwnc.org. Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Food.Bank.NWNC or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nwncfoodbank. ###