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(Rock Island, Ill.) – Families busily harvesting fall produce often turn to the Mattawa Area Food Bank, Mattawa, WA, for nutritious food for themselves and children. The food bank serves the surrounding Mattawa area in central Washington state, and has been awarded a $10,000 Nation of Neighbors℠ grant by Royal Neighbors of America, one of the first and largest women-led insurers in the U.S. “On behalf of the Mattawa Area Food Bank’s Board of Directors, we are just thrilled,” says Board President, Pamela Bunger. “We serve a very important population, many who are Latino agricultural workers who, in spite of harvesting fruits and vegetables throughout the year, often find themselves needing extra help to secure food for their own families.”

Ms. Bunger, a local elementary school teacher, says the food bank distributes food boxes two Saturdays a month. When harvest season is over, the food bank can distribute as many as 300-600 boxes on donation days. The boxes contain fresh produce, donated tortillas, beans, and meat. “The need is great, and this grant will help us significantly. We just learned that our forklift is unrepairable. We couldn’t live without one for loading and unloading heavy pallets of food. The grant will help us purchase a replacement and any remaining dollars may go toward our goal of purchasing a walk-in freezer to keep food fresh.”

Rebecca Cavanaugh, Deputy General Counsel at Royal Neighbors, will lead the virtual award presentation. “We are honored to be able to support the Mattawa Area Food Bank and the good work they are doing to help their neighbors. For more than 125 years, Royal Neighbors has sought to empower women to make a positive impact in their communities. And, in light of the on-going pandemic, being able to provide financial support to the Mattawa Area Food Bank – which directly impact the lives of food insecure families – is more important than ever this year,” says Ms. Cavanaugh.

Nation of Neighbors is a Royal Neighbors of America philanthropy program that provides financial assistance to individuals who have a plan to start or expand a business, organization, program, or nonprofit that helps women and/or girls in their community. To date, more than $2 million has been awarded nationwide.



About Royal Neighbors of America
Royal Neighbors of America is a unique provider of life insurance and annuities whose mission is to protect women financially and empower them to improve their lives, families, and communities. In 1895, Royal Neighbors was founded as a membership organization by nine pioneering women who recognized the need to insure the lives of women and children and the importance of localized philanthropy. Headquartered in Rock Island, Illinois, with an operation in Mesa, Arizona, Royal Neighbors serves more than 215,000 members.