Ameriprise also pledges $1.3 million in grants to nonprofits
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AMP) employees, advisors and clients
are joining forces to help the 49 million Americans, including 16
million children and 5.3 million seniors, who face hunger in the U.S. On
June 19, more than 4,000 Ameriprise volunteers will spend time packaging
and preparing meals at 200 hunger-relief nonprofits from coast-to-coast.
The events, organized by Ameriprise in partnership with Feeding America®,
are part of two nationwide service days, which bring together nearly
15,000 volunteers to help end hunger.
“The summer months can be difficult for kids who don’t have access to
the food they receive through school breakfast and lunch programs,” said
Brian Pietsch, head of community relations at Ameriprise. “When school
ends so does the certainty of where their next meal is coming from and
the reality is that many kids are struggling with hunger. We hope that
by bringing our employees, advisors and clients together – all rallying
behind this worthy cause – we can help families gain access to
nutritious meals that bridge the gap over the summer.”
Ameriprise Grant Program Driven by Employee and Advisor Nonprofit
Engagement
In conjunction with its national event,
Ameriprise announced the donation of $1.3 million in grants to
nonprofits dedicated to helping people in need and building strong
communities. The company gave a total of 72 grants to organizations that
align with its philanthropic priorities: meeting basic needs, supporting
community vitality and volunteer-driven causes.
Ameriprise develops strong relationships with the nonprofits it supports
by providing grants to organizations that its employees and advisors are
deeply committed to through volunteerism, board service and monetary
donations. As part of its commitment to meeting basic needs, the company
also has a particular focus on helping solve domestic hunger. Some of
the recent grant recipients include:
- Redwood Empire Food Bank in Santa Rosa, Calif., a Feeding
America member food bank, distributes 20 pounds of fresh produce to
1,500 kids each week through the Farm to Family School Pantry program.
The program operates at seven elementary schools where 85 percent or
more of the students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. This
year, they expect to serve 325,000 meals.
- Desert Mission Food Bank in Phoenix, Ariz., provides a spectrum
of emergency services to help people meet their basic needs. Desert
Mission will use the grant from Ameriprise to support their emergency
food program and provide food boxes for families and snack packs for
kids. In 2014 Desert Mission served 41,000 individuals, the equivalent
of 400 people per week.
- The Minneapolis, Minn. Junior League’s Backpack Buddies program
provides food to elementary aged children and their families in order
to bridge the gap over the weekend to food-insecure households. Since
its inception in 2011, both grades and attendance have increased for
children participating in the program.
Ameriprise funds grants to nonprofits twice annually. Grant guidelines
are available on ameriprise.com.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is the nationwide
network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the
United States. Together, we 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 we serve; educates the public about the
problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people
from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all
have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate.
Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org,
find us on Facebook
or follow us on Twitter.
About Ameriprise Financial Community Relations
Ameriprise
Financial is dedicated to utilizing the firm’s resources and talents to
improve the lives of individuals and build strong communities. Through
grantmaking, volunteerism and employee and advisor gift matching
programs, the company supports a diverse group of over 6,000 nonprofits
across the country. In 2014, Ameriprise Financial and its employees and
advisors gave $12 million and logged 66,000 volunteer hours at
nonprofits. Additionally, the company’s support provided the equivalent
of 10 million meals to feed families struggling with hunger.
About Ameriprise Financial
At Ameriprise Financial, we have
been helping people feel confident about their financial future for more
than 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.
© 2015 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.
Grants Awarded: First Cycle 2015
Meeting Basic Needs – 39 grants:AccessAbility, Inc.; Aeon;
American Indian OIC, Inc.; Birmingham AIDS Outreach Inc.; Boys & Girls
Clubs of Philadelphia; Casa Central; Catholic Charities of Saint Paul
and Minneapolis; Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada; CommonBond
Communities; Community FoodBank, Inc.; Community Servings; Desert
Mission; Family Scholar House, Inc.; Feeding America Southwest Virginia;
Feeding South Florida; Foodbank of Santa Barbara County; Gleaners
Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan; House of Hope Community
Development Corporation; Human Solutions; Lutheran Social Service of
Minnesota; Meals on Wheels and More Inc.; Minnie's Food Pantry; Northern
Illinois Food Bank; People Serving People Charities Inc.; Prepare +
Prosper; Rebuilding Together Twin Cities; Redwood Empire Food Bank;
RESOURCE, Inc.; Rosie's Place; Saint Paul Area Council of Churches;
Sarasota Family Young Men's Christian Association, Inc.; Second Harvest
Food Bank of Middle Tennessee; Simpson Housing Services; The Aliveness
Project; The Greater Boston Food Bank; The Junior League of Minneapolis
Inc.; Twin Cities RISE!; Women's Resource Center of Greensboro; Wounded
Warrior Project
Supporting Community Vitality – 26 grants: Carnegie Hall;
Children's Theatre Company; GiveMN; Guthrie Theater; Hands on Twin
Cities; Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida Inc.; Lower
Manhattan Cultural Council; Mattie Rhodes Center; Minneapolis Institute
of Arts; Minnesota Orchestral Association; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston;
National Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorale of Montgomery County, Inc.;
Pillsbury United Communities; Portland Youth Philharmonic Association;
Rebuilding Together Peninsula (RTP); Stages Theatre Company; Steppenwolf
Theatre Company; The Florida Orchestra, Inc.; The Shakespeare Theatre
Company; The Southern Theater; Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support
Corporation; Urban Gateways; Walker Art Center; Weisman Art Museum
(WAM), University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus; Women's Economic
Ventures; WomenVenture
Volunteer-drive Causes – 7 grants: BestPrep; Greater Minneapolis
Crisis Nursery; Junior Achievement of Central Ohio; Junior Achievement
of Wisconsin, Inc. in Brown County; Special Olympics Minnesota; Susan G.
Komen Minnesota; Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150618005873/en/
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
Alison Mueller, 612-678-7183
Media
Relations
alison.g.mueller@ampf.com
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Source: Ameriprise Financial, Inc.