SLO Food Bank has received a $50,000 grant and a special designation from Bank of America for its work to alleviate hunger on the Central Coast.
The non-profit organization was named Bank of America’s local 2024 Neighborhood Champion, meaning that it also receives leadership training resources for the organizations CEO and access to technical coaching and a national network of non-profit peers.
SLO Food Bank’s new designation was created through the bank’s Neighborhood Champion’s program, which “[builds] thriving communities by addressing issues fundamental to economic opportunity,” according to the bank’s press release.
Officials say the highly-competitive program started in 2019 and has invested over $9 million into more than 200 high-impact non-profits across the nation since then.
We’ve been working with SLO Food Bank for many years, and we know the great work that they do in our community. And with the high prices of food due to inflation, we know that more and more families are relying on critical needs such as food,” Greg Bland, the president of Bank of America’s San Luis Obispo region, told KSBY.
Organizers say past San Luis Obispo Neighborhood Champions include 5Cities Homeless Coalition, Economic Vitality Corporation, El Camino Homeless Organization, Peoples Self-Help Housing, and SLO Partners.