The Endowment for Butler County Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation and NexTier Bank are providing $17,000 to the 14 food banks in Butler County.

After the endowment board voted unanimously Wednesday to donate $500 to each location, NexTier Bank agreed to contribute an additional $10,000 to the food banks.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in layoffs throughout the county and a substantial need for food and essentials for many residents.

The food banks receiving the donations are: St. Vincent DePaul, Family Life Ministries, Salvation Army, The Lighthouse Foundation, Southwest Butler Food Cupboard, Evans City Community Food Cupboard (St. Peter’s Lutheran Church), Gleaners Food Cupboard (St. Ferdinand’s Church), Loaves and Fishes Food Cupboard (Summit United Presbyterian Church), Petroleum Valley Food Cupboard, Cabot United Methodist Food Bank, Feed My Sheep Food Cupboard, Moniteau Area Food Pantry (Concord Presbyterian Church), Mount Chestnut Presbyterian Church and the Portersville Food Pantry.

“This is a challenging time for many families in Butler County, and NexTier Bank felt that partnering with the Endowment for Butler County was a great way to strengthen and sustain our community as we try to navigate the new normal,” said Maria Amoruso, chief marketing officer at NexTier. “This crisis is both a health and a financial crisis for unprecedented numbers of people. We hope this donation will help bridge the gap until businesses are able to reopen and people are able to return to work.”