Area BankRI branches to kick off food drive

PROVIDENCE — From Woonsocket to Wakefield and nearly everywhere in between, Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) will kick off its annual food drive on Tuesday, Aug. 1. The seven-week collection runs through Friday, Sept. 22, and is organized to coincide with the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s Summer Food Drive and a time of high need in the community.

In Lincoln and Woonsocket, BankRI’s two local branch have partnered with Connecting for Children & Families to ensure the food collected stays local to feed individuals and families in need. The strategic timing of the drive helps pantries meet the need they experience during late summer, when children lack access to the meals they receive during the school year and summer feeding programs have ended.

“Food is the most basic need we all share; there is no reason anyone—particularly children—should have to worry about where their next meal will come from,” said Mark J. Meiklejohn, president and CEO of BankRI.

Beginning Aug. 1, BankRI’s Lincoln and Woonsocket branches will have collection bins placed in their lobbies to accept food donations. Most-needed items include: peanut butter, tuna, canned beans, whole wheat pasta, boxed macaroni and cheese, breakfast cereals, and canned fruits and vegetables.

Along with its branch food collections, BankRI will provide a $4,500 grant to the Food Bank for the acquisition of additional food on behalf of each partnering food pantry, all of which are members of the Food Bank’s network of emergency food programs. As the state’s largest hungerrelief organization, the Food Bank serves more than 59,000 Rhode Islanders each month through its network, a number that’s nearly doubled since 2007.

The BankRI Lincoln branch is located at 625-B George Washington Highway, and the Woonsocket branch is located at 1175 Cumberland Hill Road. For hours of operation, please visit www.BankRI.com/locations.