Giving back has been a cornerstone of Morgan Stanley’s culture and values since our founding in 1935. Our partnership with Feeding America has long been an important way for us to create impact, and I am proud of the innovative programs we have worked on together that give children the healthy start they need for lifelong achievement.
James P. Gorman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Since 2009, Morgan Stanley and Feeding America have partnered to Fill the Plate for children across the United States. This effort is part of the Morgan Stanley Foundation’s Global Alliance for Children’s Health, a 40-plus-year initiative funding critical programs that improve childhood health.
Fill the Plate includes a national expansion of the BackPack Program, which supplies children with backpacks full of nutritious food they can take home over the weekend, a time when children are most at risk of hunger, and also funding support of the National Produce Program to expand the availability of fresh produce in low-income communities across the country. Beginning in 2013, the initiative will add a growing local grants program to create, sustain and expand other childhood programs including school pantries. Together with Feeding America’s food bank network, our efforts will provide more than 10 million meals and 50 million servings of fresh produce for children.
In addition to our charitable funding, totaling more than $13 million, Morgan Stanley employees play a critical role in the partnership, delivering strategic planning advice, research assistance, executive counseling and hands-on volunteer engagement nationwide.