Arbella Insurance Foundation Raises Funds for Hunger Relief Programs in New England

The Arbella Insurance Foundation announced that the sixth year of its "Let's Drive Out Hunger" campaign has raised $70,575.

The campaign centers on a matching gift program in which Arbella matches donations from any of its nearly 500 independent agents on a two-to-one basis.

"Let's Drive Out Hunger was once again a huge success this year, serving many communities in need," said John Donohue, chairman and president of the Arbella Insurance Foundation. "We are proud to partner with our agents to help solve this pressing issue that affects so many people in New England."

According to a release, this year, a total of 88 agents participated in the campaign. Over the past six years, hundreds of donations from independent agents have helped Arbella's Foundation raise nearly $500,000 for local food pantries, soup kitchens and food programs across more than 100 New England communities. These contributions have made a big impact: for example, a twenty-five dollar donation to Project Bread provides a hot meal for 40 individuals at a supper program, a rate that would turn $500,000 into over 800,000 meals for Massachusetts residents.

Let's Drive Out Hunger helps agents select food programs that they feel will do the most good for their communities. Food pantries all across New England received donations this year, including Bread & Roses in Lawrence, MA, Father Bill's & MainSpring in Quincy, MA, Haven From Hunger in Peabody, MA, Lorraine's Soup Kitchen in Chicopee, MA, Our Father's House, Inc. in Fitchburg, MA, Rhode Island Community Food Bank in Providence, RI, and the Somerville Homeless Coalition's Project SOUP in Somerville, MA.

"Being part of Arbella's Let's Drive Out Hunger campaign was a truly rewarding experience for our agency," said Tayla Polia, marketing manager of Philbin Insurance Group, which donated to Bread of Life in Malden, MA. "Supporting a nonprofit that serves the community we live and work in was very motivating. We used the campaign as an opportunity to engage our employees and clients and really band together for a great cause-and in the end we had six boxes of food to donate along with our check!"

Food insecurity is an increasingly prevalent issue across the Bay State area. A 2010 Greater Boston Food Bank study, which is updated every four years, reported that one in nine members of the Greater Boston community is at risk of hunger. Moreover, the agency reported a 23 percent increase in requests for food assistance since 2005.

Similarly, the 2013 Project Bread Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts found that many of these food insecure households contain children who are not receiving adequate nutrition. In 2013, a staggering 16.5 percent of all Massachusetts children lived in food insecure households.

Let's Drive Out Hunger is just one of several initiatives Arbella is leading to fight hunger and increase access to nutritious food for families and individuals in Massachusetts. Other projects include support of Father Bill's and MainSpring, sponsorship of Interfaith Social Services (ISS), and the Arbella insurance companies' employee and agent participation in Project Bread's annual Walk for Hunger.

The Arbella Insurance Group is a customer-focused regional property and casualty insurance company, providing personal and business insurance in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and business insurance in Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

More Information:

http://www.arbella.com

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