Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation Donations to Feeding America and United Way Continue Supporting COVID-19 Relief in Missouri

Nearly $1.1 million in funding committed by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its Foundation to help Missourians hit hardest by the COVID-19 health crisis

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As part of its continued commitment to improving lives and communities, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri and its Foundation today announced additional funding to support Feeding America and United Way, two organizations that are crucial frontline responders to the coronavirus pandemic in Missouri. Funds will be cascaded to food banks, shelters and other resource centers across the state that help struggling individuals and families access necessities amid the pandemic.

These latest contributions are part of a $1.1 million commitment recently made by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri and its Foundation to support COVID-19 relief efforts across Missouri and help families and communities with vital essential needs such as: funding to support after school programs, helping to stock food panties throughout Missouri, and support for services that are addressing isolation and domestic abuse.

“We understand how this pandemic is affecting Missouri families and the uncertainty it brings,” said Amadou Yattassaye, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri. “Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and our local foundation are proud members of the Missouri philanthropic community and feel it is our responsibility to support the communities where we serve, live and work.”

Highlights of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation’s COVID-19 response in Missouri include:

• From children who rely on school lunches, to seniors and people with disabilities who have challenges leaving their homes, food access is one of the biggest needs as it relates to COVID-19. Through a $20,000 donation to Feeding America, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is helping support emergency food programs at food banks across Missouri.
• Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation’s $20,000 donation to United Way chapters with COVID-19 relief programs will help vulnerable individuals, families, and organizations across Missouri through financial assistance, access to critical programs and services, and working with partner agencies to help provide a stable recovery for Missouri communities in the coming years.
• Through a $110,750 grant, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is helping Boys & Girls Clubs across Missouri provide nutritious food and e-learning opportunities for schoolchildren and families impacted by school and club closures due to COVID-19.
• The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is utilizing a $50,000 grant from the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation to help address health, wellness and mental health challenges due to COVID-19.

To date, Anthem associates in Missouri have logged nearly 680 volunteer hours and donated more than $44,000 to support COVID-19 response efforts in Missouri. Volunteer efforts include providing meals to the frontline healthcare workers, and engaging in ‘virtual volunteering’ such as online teaching and telephone outreach to seniors or those isolated during this time of need.

“As we continue our coordinated response to COVID-19, we know the needs of individuals and the community will continue to evolve rapidly,” said Yattassaye. “We will continue to adapt and respond with care and compassion, and provide the necessary support to help guide us through this crisis and aid the recovery.”

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is committed to the whole health of individuals and families. In the current public health crisis, that means working with partner organizations to provide emergency response, access to food, protective and medical equipment, volunteers, human services and addressing education and technology needs. The foundation will evolve its community support efforts to meet communities’ changing needs in the coming weeks and months.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation

Through charitable grant making, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation LLC, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, promotes Anthem’s commitment to improving lives and communities. Through strategic partnerships and programs, the Foundation addresses the social drivers that will help create a healthier generation of Americans in communities that the company serves. The Foundation focuses its funding on critical initiatives that make up its Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that target: maternal health, diabetes prevention, cancer prevention, heart health and healthy, active lifestyles, behavioral health efforts and programs that benefit people with disabilities. The Foundation also coordinates the company’s year-round Dollars for Dollars program that provides a 100 percent match of associates’ donations, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. To learn more about the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, please visit http://www.anthem.foundation and its blog at https://medium.com/anthemfoundation.