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Greater Boston Food Bank, Citizens, and Boston Medical Center team up to “Stop Hunger Now”

Media Contacts:
David Kibbe
Boston Medical Center
David.Kibbe@bmc.org
617-638-8499

Rory Sheehan
Citizens
Rory.p.sheehan@citizensbank.com
781-655-3931

Hilary Allard
781-244-7797
hallard@thecastlegrp.com
The Greater Boston Food Bank Media Rep

Greater Boston Food Bank, Citizens, and Boston Medical Center team up to “Stop Hunger Now”

NEW CHARITY LICENSE PLATE TO FIGHT FOOD INSECURITY

Boston, MA; October 22, 2020 – Proceeds from a new Massachusetts charity license plate now available at www.stophungerma.org  will benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank, and Boston Medical Center. The plate, sponsored in part by Citizens, features an image of a stop light – formed from healthy fruits and vegetables – which is designed to highlight the hundreds of children and families who go hungry every day.

Stop Hunger NowCharity license plates can be pre-ordered online at www.stophungerma.org.

 “The “Stop Hunger Now” license plate will provide essential support to BMC’s food and nutrition programs at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is causing even more families to struggle with hunger,” said Kate Walsh, President and CEO of Boston Medical Center Health System. “BMC started the first hospital-based food pantry in the nation two decades ago because many of our patients needed food as much as medical care to stay healthy. Thanks to our partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank, we can focus on ways to improve health and eliminate hunger.”

Revenue from the plate will be split evenly between the two organizations. A charity plate costs an additional $40 above the standard registration fee. Of the initial $40 fee, $28 will be retained by the charities, with the remaining $12 going to the RMV. When the plate is renewed, the entire plate fee goes to the charities.

“The launch of the ‘Stop Hunger Now’ license plate is extremely timely,” said GBFB President Catherine D’Amato. “Because of the economic impact of COVID-19, the need has never been greater. With winter approaching and the crisis lingering on, we hope that people will consider purchasing a plate to not only support our collective efforts, but as a way to remind others that hunger is an ongoing, urgent problem in our state.”

Though its Citizens Helping Citizens community engagement platform, Citizens continues its support to end hunger and drive awareness of the urgent need for food security for all our neighbors.

“Working with the team at Boston Medical Center and The Greater Boston Food Bank was a natural progression of the collaborative work to fight hunger that we embarked on together many years ago,” said Jerry Sargent, President of Citizens in Massachusetts, “By association, this stop light image will remind drivers of families who go hungry every day, and hopefully encourage them to act, and give, and join us in the fight, so that one day we beat this.”

About The Greater Boston Food Bank 

The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. In response to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, GBFB distributed the equivalent of nearly 81 million meals in 2020 through its network of nearly 600 dedicated food distribution partners and programs in the 190 cities and towns across Eastern Massachusetts. A member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network, GBFB’s mission is to end hunger here and it is committed to providing at least three healthy meals a day to everyone in need. For more information, visit us at GBFB.org, follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@gr8bosfoodbank) and Instagram, or call us at 617.427.5200. 

About Boston Medical Center

Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a private, not-for-profit, 514-bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine. It is the largest and busiest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England. BMC offers specialized care for complex health problems and is a leading research institution, receiving more than $166 million in sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2019. It is the 13th largest funding recipient in the U.S. from the National Institutes of Health among independent hospitals. In 1997, BMC founded Boston Medical Center Health Plan, Inc., now one of the top ranked Medicaid MCOs in the country, as a non-profit managed care organization. Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine are partners in Boston HealthNet – 12 community health centers focused on providing exceptional health care to residents of Boston. For more information, please visit http://www.bmc.org.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $179.2 billion in assets as of September 30, 2020. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 2,700 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on TwitterLinkedIn or Facebook.

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