EMC Announces Additional Pandemic Relief Donations – Gives $525,000 to Support School Food Pantries and Small Business Recovery

DES MOINES, Iowa (June 9, 2020)— Today the EMC Insurance Foundation announced $525,000 in additional pandemic relief funding to assist families and small businesses struggling due to COVID-19. The dollars will go to two organizations:

• $450,000 to Feeding America for school food pantries and other child hunger programs.
• $75,000 to support the Small Business Recovery Grant Program offered through a consortium of public and private entities in Central Iowa.

"Families, schools and small businesses are vital to successful communities, and we knew we wanted to assist them as they face the impacts and hardships of COVID-19,” said Scott Jean, EMC President and CEO. “At EMC, we're dedicated to serving our communities and donating to these two worthy nonprofit organizations allows us to do that."

The Feeding America funds will be directed to network food banks in six states: Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas, North Carolina, Minnesota and Nebraska. Last year, Feeding America served 142 million meals through its child nutrition programs. This donation will fund additional meals, reducing food insecurity for children and families.

“The need is even greater this year, with food banks reporting an average of 60 percent increase in demand for food assistance compared to this time last year, and estimates that as many as one in four children may face food insecurity because of this crisis,” said Elizabeth Marquardt, Interim Managing Director of New Partnerships at Feeding America. “Thanks to support like EMC's, we have sourced and distributed more than three times the number of meals to food banks, compared to this time last year.”

The Small Business Recovery Grant Program is focused on assisting and preserving small businesses, which are the heart and soul of their communities and so important to their local economies. Grants will range from $1,000 to $10,000.

In addition to the above donations, in early April EMC provided dollars to Feeding America to fund food pantries in 18 cities across the U.S. where the company has offices, as well as to the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines' Disaster Recovery Fund to support the metro's most vulnerable populations.

Additionally, EMC team members volunteered their time and materials to make face masks for the Food Bank of Central Iowa, to keep its staff, volunteers and partners safe. Team members could use their Volunteer Time Off benefit for this activity.

About EMC Insurance Companies

EMC Insurance Companies is among the top 60 property/casualty insurance organizations in the country based on net written premium, with more than 2,400 employees. Employers Mutual Casualty Company (EMCC) was organized in 1911 to write workers’ compensation protection in Iowa. Today, operating under the trade name EMC Insurance Companies, the company provides property and casualty insurance products and services throughout the United States and writes reinsurance contracts worldwide. EMCC is licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit emcins.com.

About the EMC Insurance Foundation

The EMC Insurance Foundation supports 501(c)3 organizations around the country. Last year, the EMC Insurance Foundation gave more than $1.6 million to more than 125 nonprofits. The Foundation is a distinct, independent nonprofit, separate from EMC Insurance Companies. To learn more, visit https://www.emcins.com/aboutEMC/communityInvolvement.aspx..