AUSTIN, Texas – Jan. 11, 2022 – Regions Bank is saying thanks in a meaningful new way to one of Austin’s most deserving service organizations whose social outreach ministry has provided food, clothing and dignity to our neighbors experiencing homeless for over two decades.
Last month, the bank presented Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) with 200 gift packages – each filled with two $20 Regions gift cards – in support of the organization’s efforts to empower communities into a lifestyle of service with Austin’s homeless.
Local partners delivered the packages during a meet-and-greet gathering with neighbors at Community First! Village, a master planned development that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. The packages were used to reward random acts of kindness performed by neighbors in conjunction with their ‘Goodness Grinch’ celebrations during the month of December.
Through the end of the year, men and women living in Community First! Village were encouraged to catch a fellow neighbor performing a random act of kindness and nominate them for the Goodness Grinch. Both the nominator and nominee were eligible to receive a gift package through a drawing hosted each week. The raffle winners received two $20 gift cards – one to keep and one to share with someone else. The Regions-branded Visa gift cards can be spent wherever Visa is accepted.
The gift-giving program is called ‘Thank You Forward.’ It represents a new complement to Regions Bank’s year-round community engagement priorities, which includes volunteerism, financial support, and more across 15 states served by Regions across the Southeast, the Midwest, and Texas.
The financial and volunteer support we receive from corporate partners like Regions is vital to our operation, and we look forward to collaborating with them in the years ahead as we continue to service goodness together in our community.
Amber Fogarty, president of Mobile Loaves & Fishes
“More than two decades ago, Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ founders boldly answered the call to ‘love your neighbor’ and this unique display of gratitude is our way of saying thanks, while encouraging continued acts of kindness to others,” said Stephanie Perryman, Central Texas market executive for Regions Bank. “MLF’s ministry embodies an unprecedented level of collaboration across Austin to ensure our homeless neighbors are not forgotten, and we are honored to be a part of it. Together, we can continue to build hope and serve goodness to these friends in need.”
Local Regions Bank leaders chose Mobile Loaves & Fishes to applaud the organization’s social outreach ministry serving Austin’s neighbors experiencing homelessness by providing food and clothing, promoting dignity and cultivating community. MLF’s belief that the greatest cause of homelessness is a catastrophic loss of family led to the creation of Community First! Village, a 51-acre planned community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community to the chronically homeless. The Village offers a safe environment, where residents may learn a trade and build relationships as they move towards self-sufficiency. Currently, more than 200 formerly homeless individuals live in the Village. Once complete and at full capacity, Community First! Village will be home to 500 men and women who were formerly living on the streets of Austin.
“We are so grateful to Regions for recognizing the efforts of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and this Thank You Forward concept is such an original and fun way for us to engage our Community First! Village neighbors and foster a spirit of kindness during the holidays,” said Amber Fogarty, president of Mobile Loaves & Fishes. “It truly takes a village to build and sustain our Village. The financial and volunteer support we receive from corporate partners like Regions is vital to our operation, and we look forward to collaborating with them in the years ahead as we continue to service goodness together in our community.”
Fogarty added that Regions has made financial contributions the past two years toward the capital campaigns for the expansion of Community First! Village. Additionally, members of Regions’ local executive team are working with MLF’s Community Empowerment team to establish volunteer opportunities that will eventually lead to ongoing financial wellness sessions for Village residents. Regions is also invested in the physical wellness of Village neighbors and has provided Regions Cruisers to help meet neighbors’ transportation needs as the Village continues to expand.
Thank You Forward is taking place not only in Austin, but also in support of nonprofits in Dallas and Houston, Texas, as well as in Birmingham and Huntsville in Alabama.
About Regions Financial Corporation
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $156 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates more than 1,300 banking offices and approximately 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.