Massive volunteer effort will provide more than 1 million meals
for families in need ahead of the holidays
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
For the fifth year in a row, a surge of volunteers from Ameriprise
Financial (NYSE:AMP) will turn out at food banks, warehouses and
kitchens all over the U.S. to package and prepare meals for families in
need. Beginning at 9:00 a.m. EST tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 14, nonprofits
across all 50 states will open their doors to Ameriprise employees,
advisors and clients who will roll up their sleeves and get to work at
more than 500 events. By the end of the day, the company expects to
easily exceed its goal of assembling more than 1 million meals for
people in communities from coast to coast.
The events are organized by Ameriprise each fall before Thanksgiving to
help serve the 49 million Americans struggling with hunger. Since its
inception in 2010, it has become the largest volunteer event hosted in
partnership with Feeding America®, the nation’s largest
domestic hunger-relief organization. For the first time this year, the
effort has expanded overseas to include nonprofits in the United Kingdom.
“The holidays are supposed to be a time of cheer, but for anyone already
struggling to put food on the table, it can also be a period of
increased stress,” said Brian Pietsch, head of community relations at
Ameriprise. “By mobilizing our volunteers on such a huge scale, we’ve
found a way to make the season a bit easier for a lot of people. There’s
a sense of joyfulness that surrounds the day because we know we’re
helping in a meaningful way.”
Ameriprise Financial is further encouraging people to get involved by
providing a challenge match to double the impact of donations to Feeding
America up to $500,000 through Thanksgiving. Every dollar donated to
Feeding America through the Ameriprise Financial Challenge can help
secure and distribute 20 meals to families in need across the U.S.
People can join this effort by visiting supportfeedingamerica.org/Ameriprise.
“Every year, when Ameriprise volunteers arrive on site, you know they
mean business,” said Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America. “We’re
continually impressed by their energy and passion for helping others. To
see 12,000 volunteers band together on such a simple yet crucial goal –
to help feed those facing hunger – is truly incredible.”
In 2009, Ameriprise Financial began a charitable partnership with
Feeding America to help meet an increased demand on food banks and work
toward finding long-term solutions to domestic hunger. Through the
efforts of its advisors, employees and clients, the company has provided
more than 35 million meals and volunteered approximately 120,000 hours
to Feeding America and other organizations to help feed hungry Americans.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is a nationwide
network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the
United States. Together, they provide food to more than 46 million
people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities
across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food
security among the people they serve, educates the public about the
problem of hunger and advocates for legislation that protects people
from going hungry. Visit http://www.feedingamerica.org/.
About Ameriprise Financial Community Relations
Ameriprise
Financial is dedicated to the communities it serves, and is committed to
helping improve the lives of individuals and building strong
communities. Through grantmaking, volunteerism and employee and advisor
gift-matching programs, the company supports more than 5,000 nonprofits
across the country.
About Ameriprise Financial
At Ameriprise Financial, we have
been helping people feel confident about their financial future for over
120 years. With a network of 10,000 financial advisors and extensive
asset management, advisory and insurance capabilities, we have the
strength and expertise to serve the full range of consumer financial
needs. For more information, or to find an Ameriprise financial advisor,
visit ameriprise.com.
© 2014 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.
Ameriprise Financial
Kathleen McClung, 612-678-1069
Media
Relations
kathleen.h.mcclung@ampf.com
or
Alison
Mueller, 612-678-7183
Media Relations
alison.g.mueller@ampf.com
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Source: Ameriprise Financial