Local insurance agency hungers to help
June 12, 2017
Help Alliance Financial & Insurance earn an even larger donation to Kids' Food Basket. If their story is shared on social media 50 or more times by June 18, Kids' Food Basket will receive an additional $5,000. Use the buttons and help them reach their goal!
"It's amazing how hard it is to focus in school when food is the only thing on your mind."
Phalesha Kyes was talking about why she is a big supporter of Kids' Food Basket, an organization in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that provides meals to children in need.
But Kyes, an agent with Alliance Financial & Insurance in Lowell, Michigan, also was referencing something much deeper: her own experience as a child.
Alliance Financial & Insurance agent Phalesha Kyes gives the keynote speech at the Kids' Food Basket's annual Feast For Kids Fundraiser.
"For many students at the elementary school I attended, including me and my sisters, lunch was the last food we would have until the next morning," Kyes said. "Every day, Kids' Food Basket would provide a ‘Sack Supper' for us so we didn't have to go without dinner."
Kyes and her sisters were later adopted by Ryan Kyes, the owner of Alliance Financial & Insurance. Today, she works side by side with her father - and fittingly, the company provides both monetary and volunteer support for Kids' Food Basket.
The Kyes family, Phalesha, Ryan and Amanda celebrate the Feast For Kids Fundraiser.
The organization sends Sack Suppers home with 7,500 children at 42 elementary schools. However, with 32 schools on the waiting list, the need is still great, according to Bridget Clark Whitney, executive director of Kids' Food Basket. Each meal contains fruit, vegetables, protein, and a healthy snack. The program also provides support when kids are on summer vacation.
"We can't have strong communities without strong kids," Clark Whitney said, "and Sack Suppers ensure children have access to the good nutrition they need to learn and live well."
The Alliance Financial & Insurance "Quotes for a Cause" program donates $10 to the organization every time a customer requests a quote online, and each month, two employees are provided with paid time to volunteer. This creates a bond among co-workers, Kyes said, and inspires many to give back outside of work hours.
Kyes and Kids' Food Basket Founder Mary K at the Feast For Kids Fundraiser.
The company's commitment to community has earned it 2017 Safeco Insurance Make More Happen Award - which comes with up to a $10,000 donation to Kids' Food Basket from Safeco on behalf of Alliance Financial & Insurance.
"This will make a monumental impact," Clark Whitney said. "As a 100% charitably-funded program, we couldn't succeed without community partners like Alliance Financial & Insurance. With nearly 250 volunteers supporting us each day, we rely on the generosity of the community."
Kyes still holds that generosity close to her heart. "As an adult, I support Kids' Food Basket so kids don't go through the same pain my family experienced."
Learn more about our winners:
"It's amazing how hard it is to focus in school when food is the only thing on your mind."
Phalesha Kyes was talking about why she is a big supporter of Kids' Food Basket, an organization in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that provides meals to children in need.
But Kyes, an agent with Alliance Financial & Insurance in Lowell, Michigan, also was referencing something much deeper: her own experience as a child.
Alliance Financial & Insurance agent Phalesha Kyes gives the keynote speech at the Kids' Food Basket's annual Feast For Kids Fundraiser.
"For many students at the elementary school I attended, including me and my sisters, lunch was the last food we would have until the next morning," Kyes said. "Every day, Kids' Food Basket would provide a ‘Sack Supper' for us so we didn't have to go without dinner."
Kyes and her sisters were later adopted by Ryan Kyes, the owner of Alliance Financial & Insurance. Today, she works side by side with her father - and fittingly, the company provides both monetary and volunteer support for Kids' Food Basket.
The Kyes family, Phalesha, Ryan and Amanda celebrate the Feast For Kids Fundraiser.
The organization sends Sack Suppers home with 7,500 children at 42 elementary schools. However, with 32 schools on the waiting list, the need is still great, according to Bridget Clark Whitney, executive director of Kids' Food Basket. Each meal contains fruit, vegetables, protein, and a healthy snack. The program also provides support when kids are on summer vacation.
"We can't have strong communities without strong kids," Clark Whitney said, "and Sack Suppers ensure children have access to the good nutrition they need to learn and live well."
The Alliance Financial & Insurance "Quotes for a Cause" program donates $10 to the organization every time a customer requests a quote online, and each month, two employees are provided with paid time to volunteer. This creates a bond among co-workers, Kyes said, and inspires many to give back outside of work hours.
Kyes and Kids' Food Basket Founder Mary K at the Feast For Kids Fundraiser.
The company's commitment to community has earned it 2017 Safeco Insurance Make More Happen Award - which comes with up to a $10,000 donation to Kids' Food Basket from Safeco on behalf of Alliance Financial & Insurance.
"This will make a monumental impact," Clark Whitney said. "As a 100% charitably-funded program, we couldn't succeed without community partners like Alliance Financial & Insurance. With nearly 250 volunteers supporting us each day, we rely on the generosity of the community."
Kyes still holds that generosity close to her heart. "As an adult, I support Kids' Food Basket so kids don't go through the same pain my family experienced."
Learn more about our winners:
- Agency: Alliance Financial & Insurance, www.allins.com, Lowell, Michigan
- Nonprofit: Kids' Food Basket, www.kidsfoodbasket.org, Grand Rapids, Michigan