KofC Support Food Banks with Funds and Volunteers

Phase one kicks off with more than a million dollars and a multitude of volunteers from coast to coast to help deliver food to those who need it

With food banks facing increasing demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Knights of Columbus is launching a multi-million dollar food drive and delivery operation mobilizing its more than 1.25 million members in North America to cover over 25 cities in 16 U.S. states and the District of Columbia as well as four Canadian provinces. Phase one kicks off with more than a million dollars and a multitude of volunteers from coast to coast to help deliver food to those who need it.

The Knights will provide funding to food banks in New York, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver.

The organization is also asking its vast membership to further increase partnership with food banks by volunteering at food banks and helping deliver food to those in need as needed.

This monetary commitment is part of the first phase of the Knights’ efforts. Additional support in response to the COVID pandemic is planned and the Knights are asking their members and the public to support their efforts by donating at www.kofc.org.

“In addition to confronting the threat of the COVID illness itself, we are facing a pandemic situation in which hunger is a growing concern for an increasing number of unemployed individuals and their families,” explained Supreme Knight and Carl Anderson. “As an organization, we have provided vital support at key moments including during the 1918 flu pandemic, during two world wars, and after natural disasters. Our ‘Leave No Neighbor Behind’ initiative continues that tradition, and we will work directly with food banks to help ensure that food reaches those most in need in communities from coast to coast.”

The support for food banks is part of the “Leave No Neighbor Behind” initiative in which Knights are encouraged to assist their neighbors, including those in the community and parish, their fellow Knights of Columbus, etc.. Knights are also being encouraged to make blood donations, especially in response to current shortages.

In addition, the organization is also providing spiritual resources to its members and has established a program to equip dioceses with short-term financing to assist with the continuation of spiritual and charitable ministries, employment of staff, etc., as many dioceses and their parishes have suffered from the economic effects of the pandemic.

Those wishing to support the Knights efforts can donate to K of C Charities at www.kofc.org or by mail to Leave No Neighbor Behind, Knights of Columbus Charities, P.O. Box 1966, New Haven, CT 06509-1966. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc., is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a charitable organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, and 100 percent of all donations collected by Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc., will be used for pandemic-related assistance, including food, medical supplies and other needs.