As an increasing number of families face food insecurity across the region this holiday season, nearly two dozen M&T Bank volunteers stocked the shelves with much-needed food donations at the Catholic Charities Lynn Food Pantry on Giving Tuesday, December 2.
Kelley Tuthill, President and CEO of Catholic Charities Boston, said the agency was thankful for M&T’s generosity and volunteerism. Jeff Carpenter, M&T Bank’s Interim Regional President in Massachusetts, also presented Catholic Charities Boston with a $20,000 check to fight food insecurity from the M&T Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of M&T Bank.
“Hunger doesn’t wait for your next paycheck,” Tuthill said. “The clients who come to our pantry every day face constant uncertainty – whether they can pay for their prescription drugs, food or heat. We are incredibly grateful to M&T Bank for their support in helping us ensure that our most vulnerable community members don’t go hungry.”
During the month of November, M&T Bank collected non-perishable food items at its Greater Boston branch locations and its Boston office as part of Catholic Charities Boston’s Hope for the Holidays campaign. On Giving Tuesday, M&T volunteers rolled up their sleeves, unloaded boxes of over 1,000 pounds of donated food from their vehicles and stocked the pantry’s shelves with items such as pasta, flour, soups, canned protein, rice and baking mixes.
“M&T Bank is proud to support Catholic Charities Boston in its Hope for the Holidays food drive – an initiative that helps stock local food pantries and ensures families across Massachusetts have nourishing meals during this critical time. As more families face food insecurity, we believe no child or parent should have to worry about their next meal,” Carpenter said. “Our commitment to community runs deep. Through collaborations like this, we strive to break down barriers and meet essential needs—bringing comfort, stability, and hope to the communities we serve.”
“On behalf of the City of Lynn, I really just want to thank M&T Bank for this really meaningful contribution,” said Mayor Jared Nicholson. “We’re incredibly fortunate to have such great partners in Catholic Charities.”
Catholic Charities Boston is seeing a surge in visits to its food pantries as already strained families struggle to afford groceries amid challenges with food assistance and high living costs. Catholic Charities Boston operates four food pantries in Dorchester, Brockton, Lynn and Lowell, distributing approximately 2.4 million meals annually. For more information visit: https://www.ccab.org.