the PRIVATE BANK of CALIFORNIA

Bank Employees Help Fight Hunger in Los Angeles

The Private Bank Volunteers at LA Regional Food Bank

07.26.12

Employees of The Private Bank donated their time to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank last week in an effort to fight hunger throughout Los Angeles county.  The team of volunteers inspected, sorted and packaged food for distribution to the Food Bank's 640 partner agencies, which serve 1,000 sites including abused and abandoned children homes, battered women shelters, senior centers, local food pantries, soup kitchens, AIDS hospices and more in the county.   There are over 1.7 million people who go hungry in Los Angeles County, 400,000 of whom are children.   With the local unemployment rate close to 12 percent, the demand for food assistance continues to grow.  The Private Bank is proud to be a part of the fight to reduce hunger.

"We so appreciate The Private Bank volunteers for devoting their time to sorting through thousands of pounds of bread products, canned goods and boxed donations," said Michael Espe, Volunteer Coordinator at the Food Bank. "They worked very hard and their efforts helped deliver food to the 1 in 6 residents of Los Angeles County who receive our donations every year.  We really could not do it without them."

Founded in 1973 by a Pasadena resident named Tony Collier, the Food Bank distributes more than 50 million pounds of food annually to its partner agencies.  For 40 years it has remained decicated to its mission “to mobilize resources to fight hunger in our community” and will continue doing so with the help of donors and volunteer teams from organizations like The Private Bank of California.

"The whole experience was very moving and I appreciated the opportunity to help the hungry in our community,” said Cathy Coler, VP/Relationship Manager at the Bank.  “Learning that some children have to drink water until their stomachs are full, because their families cannot afford food, was heart-wrenching.  I hope our involvement will bring awareness to the Food Bank's programs, which are so accessible, and incite others to take an active role in fighting hunger.” 

For more information on the Los Angeles Food Bank and how you can become involved in the fight against hunger visit www.LAFoodBank.org.