Totally Committed Community Outreach Center

Good news: philanthropist William E. Conway Jr. donated $1 million to the Capitol Area Food Bankyesterday, ensuring that the metro region’s main provider of food for the poor would not have to start charging its clients for produce.In June, the Bank, which supplies food to more than 700 food banks and pantries around the region, announced that it would have to begin a 10 cents per pound surcharge for fruits and vegetables due to budgetary constraints. The Post reports that Conway apparently saw the news and figured that another million dollars — on top of a five million dollar donation he gave the Bank last fall — was necessary:

“I had fresh produce last night with dinner. I had blueberries this morning with my cereal. It’s a luxury for some people,” Conway said in a phone interview. “I wanted to try to help.”[…]

“I thought, if I’m going to try to solve one problem, we ought to really be working to try to solve another problem, too,” said Conway, who ranks 182nd on the Forbes 400 list of America’s richest people, with a net worth of more than $2 billion.

Brantley said Conway’s donation will reimburse clients for any charges since the fee took effect at the beginning of this month and will buy the food bank another year to find a long-term solution, which may include new sources of funding and food.

If you feel inspired by Conway’s generosity, you can donate to the Bank here, or save them some staffing costs by volunteering your time.

Good news: philanthropist William E. Conway Jr. donated $1 million to the Capitol Area Food Bankyesterday, ensuring that the metro region’s main provider of food for the poor would not have to start charging its clients for produce.In June, the Bank, which supplies food to more than 700 food banks and pantries around the region, announcedthat it would have to begin a 10 cents per pound surcharge for fruits and vegetables due to budgetary constraints. The Post reports that Conway apparently saw the news and figured that another million dollars — on top of a five million dollar donation he gave the Bank last fall — was necessary:

“I had fresh produce last night with dinner. I had blueberries this morning with my cereal. It’s a luxury for some people,” Conway said in a phone interview. “I wanted to try to help.”[…]

“I thought, if I’m going to try to solve one problem, we ought to really be working to try to solve another problem, too,” said Conway, who ranks 182nd on the Forbes 400 list of America’s richest people, with a net worth of more than $2 billion.

Brantley said Conway’s donation will reimburse clients for any charges since the fee took effect at the beginning of this month and will buy the food bank another year to find a long-term solution, which may include new sources of funding and food.

If you feel inspired by Conway’s generosity, you can donate to the Bank here, or save them some staffing costs by volunteering your time.