Louisville, KY (November 25, 2024) |
Park Community Credit Union has joined efforts with employees, members, and the community to collect items and donations to hand deliver 155 Thanksgiving meal kits to local families in need. This collective effort to battle food insecurity is called Parksgiving, because it is a united focus of us all to empower our underserved communities.
“The ability for families to cook a Thanksgiving meal in their own home and enjoy the time together is a luxury often taken for granted by many.” Shares Jana Erny, President/CEO of Park Community, “Unfortunately, in some of our most marginalized communities, a Thanksgiving meal is not a possibility. We are honored to provide this empowering opportunity to many in the communities we serve at Park.”
The initial goal for Parksgiving was to get Thanksgiving meals in the hands of at least 100 families. Through collection and donation efforts, the credit union was able to make Thanksgiving possible for 155 families in the Louisville Metro, Bluegrass, and Southern Indiana regions. Donations were accepted in branches and online from mid October to mid November, and a large portion of these gifts came from Park Community employees, who shared $2000 of their Thanksgiving appreciation dollars towards the initiative.
Erny shares, “Park is not simply a financial institution. The movement of building thriving communities and empowering underserved communities fuels our team, and this mission drives the work that we do each day. Nearly a third of our team paying forward their Thanksgiving Appreciation funds to feed families in need speaks to the bold compassion of our employees and their desire to bring our vision to life.”
Park employees spent the week prior to Thanksgiving sorting through and packing donated items and working with local businesses to acquire all of the additional perishable items to complete the meal kits, including turkeys and pies. On Saturday, November 23, the Park team and their families hand delivered the meal kits to local families.
To learn more about Park Community Credit Union and our exciting updates, visit parkcommunity.com.