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Fifth Third Bank and Employees Provide More Than 1.7 Million Meals to Fight Hunger Across 10 states
[June 13, 2018]

Fifth Third Bank and Employees Provide More Than 1.7 Million Meals to Fight Hunger Across 10 states


Fifth Third Bank's annual "Feeding Our Communities" initiative provided more than 1.7 meals in May to fight hunger, surpassing the Bank's goal for the second straight year. The monthlong effort included more than 4,000 hours volunteered by employees to support individuals and communities across the Bank's 10-state footprint.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180613005778/en/

Kurt Rieber, president and CEO, Freestore Foodbank; Bridget Patton, director of community affairs, o ...

Kurt Rieber, president and CEO, Freestore Foodbank; Bridget Patton (News - Alert), director of community affairs, office of Mayor John Cranley; Teresa Tanner, chief administrative officer, Fifth Third Bank; Scenario Adebesin, director, corporate social responsibility, Fifth Third Bank; and Jule Kucera, chief diversity and corporate social responsibility officer, Fifth Third Bank celebrate Fifth Third Day. (Photo: Business Wire)

According to Feeding America, 41.2 million Americans - including nearly 13 million children - live in households that lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis. As a result, they struggle with hunger at some time during the year. Food-insecure families, defined as those who have limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, exist in every county in America.

Statistics like these inspire the Bank to make a difference in the communities that it serves.

"City by city, region by region, food pantry by food pantry, Fifth Third employees and our partners work to address critical hunger-related needs in our communities, and to offer stability and dignity to those in need around us, especially children," said Greg Carmichael, chairman, president and CEO. "Through initiatives like Feeding Our Communities, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to improving the lives of our customers and communities."

In Greater Cincinnati, employees assembled 2,400 Power Packs for the Freestore Foodbank. The packs are provided to children who may not get regular meals on weekends. Bank employees also volunteered to pack lunches for Maslow's Army, an organization that focuses on providing resources and food to the more than 8,000 homeless people living in the region. They also participated in volunteer activities with MEAC Pantry Partners, Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, the Ronald McDonald House and Shelter House, which provides services for the homeless.

Through financial contributions and volunteer activities, Greater Cincinnati employees provided close to 130,000 meals to those in need. Additional donations through the Bank's Community and Economic Development (CED) department brought the total for the region to nearly 145,00 meals.



"Every day, over 87,400 kids are among the 281,000 people in the Tristate area who are at risk for hunger," said Kurt Reiber, president and CEO of the Freestore Foodbank. "Hungry children come to school at a disadvantage to learn, perform and focus in class. We appreciate the support of Fifth Third as we work to give children the fuel they need to grow healthy and strong. Together, we can solve hunger by getting food to people who need it."

Fifth Third partnered with more than 85 organizations across its footprint to provide employee volunteer opportunities in May. Each region identified needs in their local communities and designed volunteer efforts to support. Some examples include:


  • In Chicago, we provided more than 179,000 meals for the hungry, just over 44,000 through employee donations and volunteerism. Donations through CED accounted for the remainder. Employees engaged in activities including sorting, inventorying and packing meals with the Northern Illinois Food Banks in Geneva, Deer Park and Rockford, Illinois. They also hosted a backpack assembly project at Navy Pier where meals were placed in 1,000 backpacks for Blessings in a Backpack, a nonprofit that provides food to children who are often dependent on school food programs for their meals and nutrition.
  • Northeast Ohio employees hosted volunteer sessions benefiting the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and the Greater Cleveland Foodbank, Northeast Ohio's largest hunger-relief organization. The employees provided more than 170 hours of community service and provided more than 10,000 meals through contributions and volunteerism. CED donations brought total provided meals to 144,000.
  • Georgia employees provided more than 34,500 meals and volunteered nearly 100 hours to the Atlanta Community Food Bank and the Hosea Helps Family Center to box food for families in the communities that the Bank serves.
  • Florida employees volunteered nearly 635 hours, which, combined with contributions, provided more than 41,000 meals across the state. CED donations brought the state total to more than 101,000. Employee activities included partnering with agencies including the Salvation Army, the Second Harvest Food Bank, Feeding Northeast Florida and Lehigh Community Services to provide hot meals to veterans and families and to organize food at food pantries.
  • North Carolina employees provided more than 50,000 meals through contributions and volunteer activities. The employees volunteered more than 250 hours on activities that included packing meals through the BackPack Buddies program and volunteering at two Second Harvest Food Banks in the state. Additional CED donations brought the state total to nearly 88,000.

The Bank kicked off its donation activities during the first week of May as part of activities to mark Fifth Third Day, or 5/3 on the calendar. For more than 25 years, Fifth Third has used this special date to recognize the contribution of its employees, to thank its valued customers and to support the community. Over the last seven years, in honor of Fifth Third Day, the Bank has provided more than 5 million meals across the Midwest and Southeast as a way to fight hunger.

The Bank's Feeding Our Communities initiative is part of the Bank's work to improve lives. For more on Fifth Third's corporate social responsibility efforts, read our 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility report.

About Fifth Third

Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. As of March 31, 2018, the Company had $142 billion in assets and operated 1,153 full-service Banking Centers and 2,459 ATMs with Fifth Third branding in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. In total, Fifth Third provides its customers with access to more than 54,000 fee-free ATMs across the United States. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending and Wealth & Asset Management. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of March 31, 2018, had $363 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $37 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations through its Trust and Registered Investment Advisory businesses. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq® Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB." Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858. Member FDIC


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