Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Employees Collect 6,000 Pounds of Food for FeedMore WNY

Employees participated in Second Annual Food Drive to Support Community and Help End Hunger in WNY

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York employees lined up at the company’s downtown headquarters for its second annual drive-through food drive to benefit FeedMore WNY.

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield employees filled two trucks with nearly 6,000 pounds of donated items from the organization’s healthy food wish list. Employees also donated $2,943 to the organization.

“If there is an opportunity to support our community, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York employees are the first ones there,” said physician Michael Edbauer, president of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York. “We’re proud to support FeedMore WNY and do our part in helping to end hunger in Western New York.”

In 2020, FeedMore WNY’s food bank program distributed more than 17 million pounds of nutritious fresh and shelf-stable foods to nearly 300 pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and other hunger-relief agencies throughout Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties.

“FeedMore WNY deeply appreciates the generosity of Highmark and its employees. The food collected through this event will help nourish our neighbors of all ages, particularly as our community continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are grateful to Highmark for joining us in the fight against hunger in Western New York,” said Tara A. Ellis, President and CEO, FeedMore WNY

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield employees have a long legacy of paying it forward. Most recently, the health plan’s employees collected and donated more than 1,000 school supplies for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Buffalo. Employees also donated $80,000 to local organizations and sent thousands of healthy snack-packs and meals to those serving on the frontlines of the pandemic.