School children open a food backpack  provided by the North Texas Food Bank's Food 4 Kids initiative.[/caption]

Capital One in Plano donated $10,000 to the Food 4 Kids program, which provides food for food-insecure students in Plano ISD.

The North Texas Food Bank started the program in 2014-15 with a budget of $330,000.  For the second  year of the three-year initiative, the NTFB has raised the budget to $450,000. Capital One’s donation is an addition to those from 18 other community organizations and businesses.

Monica Shortino, Capital One community relations senior manager, said this is the bank’s first year donating to the Food 4 Kids program.

“Investment in education is great,” she said.

Shortino said donating to the food bank’s program fits into the company’s focus on community education and helping children get nutritious food is an important investment in the long-run.

“It is a great way to get associates involved in volunteering too,” she said.

In Collin County, one of five children is classified as food insecure which translates to more than 44,000 children who are unsure whether they will get their next meal. NTFB  will use the money to give school children weekly backpacks with nutritious food, distribute “holiday break boxes” and provide additional food during school holidays.

Assistant City Manager Mark Israelson said corporate philanthropy within the city is vital for Plano. When corporate citizens like Capital One contribute to community development it is an investment in the city as a whole, he said.

“This is going to go a long way to help those children who face chronic hunger,” Israelson said. “They will have the concentration and nutrition they need to do well in school.”

Capital One employees also recently raised more than $80,000 in school supplies and distributed the items to nine local nonprofit organizations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area including Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County and Plano ISD. Donated items included binders, notebooks, crayons and markers.