Synchrony to donate $5M to coronavirus fight

Synchrony and the Synchrony Foundation have announced that they will be donating $5 million to support hunger-relief organizations and local communities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Synchrony’s 400,000 square foot Kettering office is the largest in the company with nearly 1,900 employees focused on operations, risk, fraud, IT, collections, finance, sales and marketing.

Company officials contacted the Dayton Daily News on Thursday and indicated the severity of the coronavirus outbreak prompted the them to take action.

“In this time of crisis, we must all work together to overcome challenges,” said Margaret Keane, CEO of Synchrony and President of the Synchrony Foundation. “Synchrony is committed to serving our employees, partners, and customers and to supporting communities in their greatest hour of need. We’re all in this together, and by uniting to help protect the nation’s most vulnerable and bring empathy into our actions, we will get to a better day and a stronger future.”

Keane added that the coronavirus has impacted vulnerable populations, including the aging population and low-income families.

To support families and communities facing hunger, Synchrony will donate $1.5 million to be allocated to national hunger relief non-profits, including the Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund, to help food banks across the country support affected communities and Meals on Wheels America to ensure older adults continue to receive the vital lifeline they need.

The company will commit the remaining $3.5 million to local organizations to tackle long-term needs in hard-hit communities as the outbreak unfolds.

Synchrony’s philanthropic initiative called Families that Work, provides grant support to non-profits that are making a difference in the lives of low- and moderate-income working families, tackling challenges such as economic security, family homelessness, and out-of-school care.

The company recently agreed agreed to a 10-year deal to stay in the Kettering Business Park.

The city agreed to give the credit card company a $675,000 Economic Development Incentive Grant if the company agreed to a five-year lease with a five-year option.

The deal also includes a statement from the company that it plans to maintain 1,900 full-time equivalent positions at its facility that’s located at 950 Forrer Blvd.

The business also is one of the city’s largest employers, and that is one of the reasons that led the city to work on making the deal, according to Economic Development Manager Gregg Gorsuch.

“It was really critical for the city to make sure that Synchrony signed up for another 10 years at the business park,” he told the Dayton Daily News. “They are really a mainstay for us in the Kettering Business Park. We are very pleased they signed.”

Contact this reporter at 937225-0586 or email Wayne. Baker@coxinc.com.