SAN JOSE, California and HILLSBORO, Oregon, December 16, 2021– (BUSINESS WIRE) – First Tech Federal Credit Union, the eighth largest credit union in the country, announced today that it has contributed more than $ 2.7 million this year to more than 120 nonprofits in California, Oregon and Washington. First Tech’s annual contribution is the result of its commitment to provide 2% of annual net income to charities across its presence, while also raising an additional $ 720,000 from dedicated employees and members this year.
Wrapping up its annual donations, First Tech ended the year by providing more than $ 450,000 to 40 organizations through its annual Innovation Grants program to help meet the food, shelter, and safety needs of children and families. At a time when organizations are seeing increased demand for services, this program helps expand access to critical resources and healthy food when communities need it most. Additionally, First Tech hosted its annual Season of Giving campaign, which allowed employees to help direct $ 125,000 to 43 nonprofits they support through volunteerism and involvement. Both of these year-end giving initiatives are key to First Tech’s overall annual giving.
“With a strong commitment to food equity and innovation, we continue to invest in supporting the most vulnerable communities throughout our footprint,” said Greg Mitchell, president and CEO of First Tech Federal Credit Union. “Community is at the heart of everything we do. We are fortunate to work with a number of strong and innovative partners who join us to bring positive change and benefit to the communities we serve.”
Community Partner Highlights
According to a recent report by Feeding America, the projected rate of food insecurity among the general population by 2021 reaches as high as 29.2% in some parts of the country. Knowing that many families face higher levels of food insecurity during the holidays, First Tech worked closely with select organizations on the West Coast to combat this problem:
green Valley in California – $ 15,000 for Increased food sovereignty
Valley Verde’s programs provide an innovative path to address food insecurity and access to food through a model of food sovereignty. Its programs equip multi-ethnic communities to grow culturally relevant and preferred organic produce through home and school gardens. The funds will be used to support a number of initiatives, including the Shared Garden Program, an extensive partnership with schools that serve a high percentage of low-income students and foster a love of gardening among children.
“Valley Verde has great goals to provide families with the tools they need to participate in food sovereignty practices to eliminate food insecurity for themselves and their children,” said Raúl Lozano, founder and CEO of Valley Verde. “This is a long-term goal and fortunately we have had the continued support of First Tech Federal Credit Union throughout this process. We could not be more grateful for their support.”
Oregon Food Bank in Oregon – $ 75,000 for community leadership and civic engagement
Oregon Food Bank works to eliminate hunger by distributing food equitably throughout the region and working on policies and programs to address the root causes of hunger. The nonprofit organization will use the donation to support its Community Leadership and Civic Engagement programs, ensuring that our communities most affected by hunger have the tools and resources to change policies, guide advocacy, and expand access to food in their communities.
“We are grateful for the support of community partners like First Tech as it enables us to continue to build community connections to help people access nutritious and affordable food today and community power to eliminate the root causes of hunger tomorrow. Hunger is not an individual experience. It is a symptom of barriers to employment, housing, healthcare, climate and racial justice throughout the community, “said Celia Ferrer, Manager of Community and Corporate Relations for Oregon Food Bank. “We believe that the community must be involved in solving this problem. To achieve transformative and systemic change, we know that it is essential that we amplify the voices of our low-income community members and those with lived experiences of hunger through community organizing, leadership development and building resilient food systems in their local economy. “
Urban gleaners in Oregon – $ 20,000 for the 2022 Initiative to Combat Child Food Insecurity in Washington County
Urban Gleaners has a 15-year history of feeding food insecure children and families in Multnomah and Washington counties. They play a critical link between organizations and businesses that have excess food and people who are food insecure and in need. Their goal is to remove all barriers to free food and work to eliminate environmental damage at every opportunity.
By bringing food to easily accessible locations within Washington County, the organization will enable weekly delivery of fresh food and grocery items to its sites during the 2021-2022 school year and beyond the summer, as well as expanding distribution sites and reclaiming more than 900,000 pounds of food. throughout the year.
EastWest Food Rescue in Washington – $ 13,000 for the Winter Products Initiative
The organization will direct the First Tech donation to its Winter Product Purchase Program that will help support the purchase of 900,000 pounds of excess produce from farmers, sourcing produce from farmers in Oregon and Washington when possible, minimizing consumption. of trucks and fuel.
Explore some of First Tech’s other community partners below.
California First Tech Innovation Grant Partners:
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Silicon Valley Second Crop – $ 40,000
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Placer Food Bank – $ 15,000
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Sacred Heart Community Services – $ 7,500
Oregon First Tech Innovation Grant Partners:
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Rafael’s House – $ 22,000
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YWCA Clark County – $ 10,000
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Community Action – $ 10,000
Washington First Technology Innovation Grant Partners:
ABOUT THE FIRST TECH FEDERAL CREDIT UNION COMMUNITY COMMITMENT
First Tech Federal Credit Union is committed to supporting the next generation of leaders, thinkers and innovators. In 2020, First Tech provided $ 2.23 million in charitable donations and more than 77% of employees participated in community engagement; allocate money and time to nonprofit partners who provide programs and services to children and families in need. First Tech’s areas of philanthropic focus include supporting education (STEM, early childhood literacy, financial literacy, and scholarships), research (Children’s Credit Union and Supportive Health Service), and innovation (food, safety, and shelter ). Visit www.firsttechfed.com/community to learn more about the ways First Tech pays you throughout the year.
ABOUT FIRST TECH FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
First Tech Federal Credit Union is a more than $ 14 billion institution based in San Jose, California. It is the nation’s leading credit union serving the world’s leading technology-oriented companies and their employees, including HP Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft, Agilent, Intel, Cisco, Amazon, Nike, Intuit, Google and plus. First Tech is recognized as the industry catalyst for providing effortless banking experiences to more than 720,000 members through its 33 branches, more than 5,600 shared CO-OP branches, 30,000 CO-OP network ATMs and platforms in line. First Tech offers a full range of financial services, including traditional banking, online banking, mortgages, financial planning, various consumer loans, and insurance services. Federally insured by NCUA. Fair Housing Lender. For more information, visit www.firsttechfed.com.
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Contacts (edit)
Roshin mathew
The Hoffman Agency
213-374-6113
firsttech@hoffman.com