Bank of North Georgia to Host PB&J Food Drive

Bank of North Georgia is getting ready to kick off its 5th Annual 'Spread the Love' Peanut Butter and Jelly Food Drive to benefit 36 local community food pantries.   

"Our team members are passionate about making a difference in the local communities we serve. The challenging economy has caused more and more families to reach out to local food banks for assistance and we felt compelled to take action. Our team has a genuine soft-spot for kids and we want to be sure they have the nutritious food they need to get through the day energized and excited to learn," said Don Howard, Regional CEO of Synovus in the Atlanta Market.

Since 2008, Bank of North Georgia and Bank of Coweta have collected more than 10 tons of peanut butter and jelly through the drive. In 2011, they partnered with 17 local schools and collected 5,899 jars at 7,997 pounds, which is four tons of PB&J. That is enough to make more than 63,978 sandwiches for children in metro Atlanta (with approximately two ounces of PB&J spread on each sandwich). Creamy peanut butter was the clear winner over crunchy and the bank received more grape jelly than any other flavor.

"Last year, our 17 school partners collected approximately 42 percent of our overall collection of PB&J. We are excited that 23 schools have agreed to partner with our local branches to host a food drive at their school in April, 2012. The Kiwanis Club in Covington, Georgia, is also joining the effort. The impact will be tremendous," Howard said.

This year's PB&J partner schools include:

• Bowdon Elementary School,
• Carrollton Middle School (Carrollton),
• Central Elementary School (Carrollton),
• Central Middle School (Carrollton),
• Chrysalis Experiential Academy (Roswell),
• Coweta Charter Academy (Senoia),
• Crabapple Elementary School (Peachtree City),
• Eastside Elementary School (Senoia),
• Evans Middle School (Newnan),
• Flat Rock Middle School (Tyrone),
• Lillian C. Poole Elementary School (Dallas),
• Livsey Elementary School (Tucker),
• Marietta Middle School,
• McGarity Elementary School (Hiram),
• Mt. Bethel Elementary School (Marietta),
• North Springs Charter High School (Sandy Springs),
• Porterdale Elementary School (Covington),
• Sandy Creek High School (Tyrone),
• Sharp Creek Elementary School (Carrollton),
• Teasley Elementary School (Smyrna),
• The Atlanta Academy (Roswell),
• Tyrone Elementary School,
• Woodstock Middle School

Local residents, customers and friends of Bank of North Georgia and Bank of Coweta are encouraged to visit any of the 46 branches and drop off as much peanut butter and jelly as they can carry and to watch for details being shared through the local schools.

"We would love to see both creamy and crunchy varieties of peanut butter and every imaginable flavor of jelly to appeal to every child in metro Atlanta," said Howard.

The drive will run from Monday, April 2 - Monday, April 30 during normal banking hours. Donors can drop off jars of peanut butter or jelly at any Bank of North Georgia building, including the Roswell banking location. The kick off coincides with "National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day," April 2. Donations will go to stock food pantries, including North Fulton Community Charities in Roswell, throughout the metro area.