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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.
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