Morgan Stanley provides grant for new food program

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Melody Wattenbarger of the Roadrunner Food Bank said a grant from Morgan Stanley will help launch a new assistance program at schools.

Gary Gerew

Assistant Editor- Albuquerque Business First

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Morgan Stanley is giving Roadrunner Food Bank $50,000 to launch a new program called the Childhood Hunger Initiative.

The program provides food through the Food Bank to 51 elementary schools in New Mexico. The hunger initiative consists of monthly mobile food pantries, weekend backpacks filled with food and fixed school-based pantries, according to a news release from the food bank.

"We are honored to be able to help Roadrunner Food Bank another time in its important fight against child hunger," said Morgan Stanley Senior Vice President Robert Hartmann in a statement. "Giving back to the communities where we live and work is one of Morgan Stanley's core values."

The program was revamped this fall to provide elementary school partners access to more food for hungry families. Previously, the Food for Kids program supplied food to hungry children through backpacks given to children at schools to eat over the weekend. But the Food Bank found that family members were sharing the food-filled backpack meant to feed only one child.

"When we realized how many children in one family were sharing food meant for one child, we had to act," said Melody Wattenbarger, president and CEO of Roadrunner Food Bank. "We began to talk and implement new ways we could bring more food to families. It made sense for us to take our Food for Kids backpack program and expand it in new ways to feed the entire family. By providing enough food to the entire family unit, hungry children in those homes will benefit too."

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505.348.8323 | ggerew@bizjournals.com