Community members can help nourish children
and earn tickets for Griffins 2024-25 home
games
DETROIT, Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Comerica Bank
and the Grand Rapids Griffins are teaming up again to support Kids'
Food Basket (KFB) and its mission to nourish children to reach
their full potential through a four-week food drive at
participating West Michigan Comerica banking centers.
From Sept. 24 to Oct. 17,
individuals who drop off non-perishable food items from the KFB
Wish List will earn ticket vouchers redeemable for Griffins home
hockey games at Van Andel Arena throughout the 2024-25 regular
season. Those who donate can receive game tickets based on total
items donated, including one ticket voucher for every five items
donated – up to four ticket vouchers for 20 donated items.
"With the success of last season's food drive partnership with
the Griffins, we wanted to build on this relationship and continue
helping reduce food insecurity in our communities," said Debra Van
Hevele, Comerica Bank Senior Vice President and Retail Regional
Director. "Kids' Food Basket is one of West Michigan's most vital resources when it
comes to helping solve childhood hunger with healthy, nutritious
options and enabling our youth to reach their full potential."
Community members who would like to donate to the food drive can
refer to KFB's Wish List, which includes staple nonperishable food
items such as fruit cups or pouches, pudding cups, meat sticks,
pretzels, cheese crackers and Cheerios.
"West Michigan is a place where
people take care of each other, and we know that Griffins fans are
passionate about our community," said Bob
Kaser, vice president of broadcasting for the Griffins and
board member for KFB. "We are excited to witness the impact this
drive will make for local kids this season and look forward to
celebrating its success on the ice in October."
Comerica and partners will announce the total amount of food
collected for Kids' Food Basket at the Grand Rapids Griffins'
second home game of the season on Friday, Oct.18 at Van Andel
Arena. The Griffins will host the Manitoba Moose at 7 p.m.
Earlier this year, Comerica and the Griffins collaborated for
the first time on a community food drive that resulted in over
3,300 food items donated to KFB and $15,000 in charitable contributions and grants
from Comerica Bank and the Comerica Charitable Foundation. Comerica
Cares volunteers also decorated over 500 Sack Supper bags for the
organization.
Heralded for their efforts both on and off the ice, the Griffins
engage in a wide range of philanthropic initiatives that support
youth and uplift the community at large. Last season, the Griffins
generated more than $450,000 for
various schools, organizations and nonprofits in West Michigan through their community and
charitable programs.
Kids' Food Basket Mission to Nourish Kids to Reach Their Full
Potential
Each weekday at Kids' Food Basket, hundreds of
volunteers prepare, pack and deliver about 10,000 meals to 60
schools in Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa and Allegan counties. Last school year, the
organization served 1.83 million meals to West Michigan kids.
"Everyone deserves healthy food, but more than 38,000 kids in
West Michigan experience food
insecurity," said Tamara
VanderArk-Potter, vice president of philanthropy at KFB. "We
are incredibly grateful to Comerica Bank and the Grand Rapids
Griffins for their continued partnership toward a future where all
kids have access to good, consistent nutrition."
Comerica has partnered with Kids' Food Basket for several years
to increase access to healthy food. Since 2020, Comerica Bank and
the Comerica Charitable Foundation have contributed $43,500 to KFB's work to increase access to
healthy food and nutrition education in West Michigan.
Comerica's West Michigan Food Drives
Comerica's food
drive with the Grand Rapids Griffins continues to expand its
efforts to reduce hunger in the community through partnerships with
local West Michigan teams. Over
the past three summers, Comerica has partnered with the Kalamazoo
Growlers on a food drive that has generated approximately 185,000
meals for the South Michigan Food Bank.
175 Years of Raising Expectations
This year, Comerica
Bank is celebrating 175 years of serving its communities, making it
Michigan's longest-serving bank.
Comerica was founded in 1849 in Detroit during a time when all banks in the
city were exclusive to the business community. This was the
motivation behind Comerica's decision to gear its banking for the
people and for those who wanted to secure their personal and
financial future. Since its inception, Comerica has grown in
Michigan and throughout the
country by focusing on the customer first and offering personal,
small business and commercial banking services, as well as wealth
management services.
For more information on Comerica's partnership with the
Griffins supporting KFB, including details on the 11 participating
Comerica banking centers in the Grand
Rapids and Muskegon areas,
visit: Comerica.com/griffinsfooddrive.
About Comerica Bank
This year, Comerica Bank
celebrates 175 years of raising expectations for its customers,
colleagues and communities. Comerica Bank, a subsidiary of Comerica
Incorporated, has served Michigan
longer than any other bank with a continuous presence dating back
to its Detroit founding in 1849.
It is the largest bank employer in metro Detroit and has more than 4,300 employees
(FTE) statewide. With one of the largest banking center networks in
Michigan, Comerica nurtures
lifelong relationships with unwavering integrity and financial
prudence. Comerica positively impacts the lives of Michigan residents by helping customers be
successful, providing financial support that assists hundreds of
charitable organizations, and actively participating in
Detroit's downtown revitalization.
Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company
strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial
Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Follow on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Comerica, X: @ComericaBank and Instagram:
@comerica_bank.
About Grand Rapids Griffins
The two-time Calder Cup
champion Grand Rapids Griffins are proud members of the American
Hockey League and the primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.
The bedrock of Sports Business Journal's No. 1-ranked minor league
market for 2019, the Griffins make their home at the world-renowned
Van Andel Arena and are embarking on their 29th season as one of
the premier franchises in sports. They have sent 206 players on to
the National Hockey League since their inception and helped produce
20 Stanley Cup champions. Visit griffinshockey.com.
About Kids' Food Basket
Kids' Food Basket (KFB) was
founded to nourish children to reach their full potential. We are a
community-based food equity nonprofit serving our West
Michigan neighbors in Kent,
Muskegon, Ottawa and Allegan counties who are under-resourced and
impacted by poverty and food insecurity. Services include flagship
Sack Supper program, sustainable farming, community food
distribution and educational programming. Kids' Food Basket is now
serving about 10,000 hundred daily evening meals to 60 schools in
four counties and works toward a future in which all children have
access to the nourishment that fosters their lifelong health and
limitless potential. To learn more about KFB's programs, services
and how to make a difference, please visit kidsfoodbasket.org.
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