QUINCY, Mass. — The Arbella Insurance Foundation (“Foundation”) today announced that it has raised more than $171,000 for its annual “Let’s Drive Out Hunger” campaign, which supports food insecurity programs across New England. To help meet the significant increase in need again this year, the Foundation invited Arbella Insurance Group (“Arbella”) employees to participate in the campaign along with Arbella Insurance Group independent agents. In total, the Foundation in partnership with Arbella agents and employees raised more than $1.6M over 14 years.
“It is truly inspiring to see the continued generosity of Arbella’s independent agents and our employees,” said John Donohue, chairman, president and CEO of the Arbella Insurance Group and chairman of the Arbella Insurance Foundation. “We’re in our second decade of the Let’s Drive Out Hunger campaign and we would like to thank our agents for their support of this important cause to ease hunger in New England. Our agents and employees are incredibly active in their communities and by bundling our contribution with theirs, we were able to nearly double the donations made to worthy organizations in their area.”
The campaign centers on a matching gift program in which Arbella matches donations made by independent agents who represent the insurers within the Arbella Insurance Group and Arbella employees, on a two-to-one basis, up to $1,500 per agency and employee.
In Massachusetts, the rate of food insecurity remains higher than it was pre-pandemic. According to the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey Public Use File (PUF), food insecurity among households with children in Massachusetts has risen, and as of early February 2022, an estimated 20.8% of households with children are facing food insecurity; a significant increase from the low in April 2021.
From November 1, 2021 through February 28, 2022, independent insurance agents raised more than $55,000 and Group employees raised more than $7,500. The Foundation matched these amounts at more than $92,000 and more than $15,000 respectively for local food pantries, soup kitchens and food programs in communities across New England.
“I am grateful to the Foundation for their continued support of agents and the communities we support,” said Geoffrey Stanton, President of Stanton Insurance Agency. “We have participated in Let’s Drive Out Hunger for more than 10 years to help the Waltham community. We are thrilled to support the Waltham Boys & Girls Club Food Program, which has helped distribute more than 20,000 meals across Waltham, this year alone.”
Erica Young, the Executive Director of Waltham Boys & Girls Club is appreciative for the Foundation’s support, stating, “Food insecurity for kids and families continues to grow as do the costs of addressing those needs. We rely heavily on the support of our community to sustain our services. We are grateful to the Let’s Drive Out Hunger initiative and Stanton Insurance for the continued investment in the Waltham Boys & Girls Club Food Distribution Program allowing us to distribute meals to children and families in our community.”
For more information, please visit, www.arbella.com.
