PORTLAND – Alarmingly, one in five children in Oregon are food insecure, meaning they have limited or uncertain access to safe and nutritious food. To help combat that reality, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon employees spent the week of August 4 volunteering with Oregon Food Bank. The outcome? Regence employees’ donations of time, food and dollars generated more than 25,000 meals for hungry Oregon kids and their families.

With its strong focus on health and wellness, Regence has partnered with Oregon Food Bank for more than a decade to fight hunger throughout the state. Collectively, Regence has donated more than $500,000 to Oregon Food Bank since 2010, and employees have donated more than a thousand hours of volunteer service to the organization over these five years.

“The foundation of good health is access to nutritious food,” said Angela Dowling, president of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. “At Regence we are working hard toward improved health and wellness across our region, and our support for Oregon Food Bank is part of that effort. This partnership allows our employees to rally together and demonstrate their strong commitment to fighting hunger in the communities we serve.”

Susannah Morgan, Oregon Food Bank CEO added, “Regence clearly understands the link between hunger and poor health. Its support helps ensure that more Oregonians have access to nutritious food that improves their opportunities to live healthier lives.”

Regence’s 2014 partnership with Oregon Food Bank is focused on expansion of the food bank’s Childhood Hunger Coalition “Screen and Intervene” medical clinic project and the creation of a peer-to-peer fundraising tool to enhance charitable giving opportunities. To learn more about Oregon Food Bank and join Regence in the fight against hunger, visit www.oregonfoodbank.org.

About Oregon Food Bank

With sufficient public will and support of the entire community, we believe it is possible to eliminate hunger and its root causes. Oregon Food Bank collects and distributes food through a network of four Oregon Food Bank branches and 17 independent regional food banks serving Oregon and Clark County, Washington. The Oregon Food Bank Network helps nearly 1 in 5 households fend off hunger. Oregon Food Bank also leads statewide efforts to increase resources for hungry families and to eliminate the root causes of hunger through advocacy, nutrition education, garden education, and helping communities strengthen local food systems. For more information visit oregonfoodbank.org

About Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon

Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, headquartered in Portland, has been serving Oregonians since 1941 and now provides more than 750,000 members with comprehensive health insurance solutions. As a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Regence is part of a family of companies dedicated to transforming health care by delivering innovative products and services that change the way consumers nationwide experience health care. For more information, please visit regence.com, facebook.com/regencebluecrossblueshield, or twitter.com/regenceoregon.