Special to the Enquirer

Bank Independent is in the midst of its seventh annual Food Share drive to benefit local food banks through the “Feed a Family for $5 with Food Share” campaign.

All locations of the bank will serve as donation points through March 26 for non-perishable food items and cash donations. Strategic partner businesses will also accept donations, and cash donations can be made through the PayPal link located at bibank.com/help.

Bank Independent works with local partner organizations across its seven-county footprint to ensure donations are distributed to area families in need.

The 2020 drive was re-envisioned because of the local impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Early dismissal of local schools and restraints placed upon food banks, combined with a general sense of uncertainty in the community, prompted the Bank Independent community engagement team to find more direct ways to meet new demands from local shelters.

“Food insecurity in our community has always been the driving need behind our Food Share initiative,” said Macke Mauldin, president and CEO of Bank Independent. “The past year has highlighted how quickly that disparity can affect local families. The charities we support provide vital assistance for families undergoing hardships. We hope our Food Share efforts make a positive impact.”

Nikki Randolph, community engagement officer at Bank Independent, said her team has had “important conversations with our local food bank partners to determine how we can best help this year.”

“We learned that in the right hands, a simple donation of $5 can feed a family for a day,” she said. “We built the 2021 Food Share drive around that theme and created three convenient ways for our team members and customers to donate: at any of our 28 Bank Independent locations, through PayPal and through partner businesses, all listed at bibank.com/help.”

Donations will be distributed through local organizations that maintain food banks to fill emergency food needs, to include: Committee on Church Cooperation in Morgan County, the Neighborhood Christian Center in Decatur, the Departments of Human Resources of Lawrence County and Franklin County, Limestone County Churches Involved Inc., Sidney’s Safe! Foundation and The Meal Barrel Project in the Shoals and Manna House in Huntsville.

As part of ongoing efforts to supplement the annual Food Share drive, the Bank will donate 10 cents for every Bank Independent debit card transaction made at a grocery store, up to $10,000, from March 1-15.

The Food Share drive is part of Bank Independent’s Helping Hands program, which also includes employee volunteer efforts, donations and sponsorships. Other Share drives include Shelter Share to benefit animal shelters, Toy Share to collect toys for the holidays and the School Share drive for school supplies.