Philanthropic responsibility has always been a significant part of our Black Diamond culture. This year has been a lot different since our in-person volunteering has been paused due to the pandemic. We have taken the current situation and adapted to find the most significant way to help our local communities most impacted. We learned that food insecurity rates continue to be astonishing, with the U.S. Census Bureau reporting over 26 million Americans do not have enough to eat. Since the beginning of Covid-19, food insecurity is at an all-time high going into the holiday season. With hunger worsening everywhere in 2020, it has led us to our quarterly commitment to donating to food banks in our local communities.
Every quarter this year, Black Diamond Networks has made monetary donations to Lazarus House, Paradise Valley Emergency Food Bank, and the Palm Beach County Food Bank. On a local level, in Florida, the Palm Beach County Food Bank said they are supporting 200,000 families this year with over 10 million pounds of food. The Lazarus House Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry are each serving over 81% more meals every week, and their food pantry has a 37% increase in Guests than they did pre-COVID. The numbers are still increasing through the holidays. In Arizona – the Paradise Valley Emergency Food Bank reported that rates of food insecurity in the community it supports have been the highest they’ve ever been in the almost 20 years they’ve been keeping track.
This is an issue that is going to stay with us longer than COVID-19, and since we are in a position to help, it’s up to us to do our part. To learn more or contribute to one of the food banks mentioned above, you can use the links provided: https://www.pbcfoodbank.org/, https://lazarushouse.org/, http://www.pvefb.org/.
