TOPEKA, Kan. – More than 3.2 million meals will be provided to families in need over the next five years thanks to a $500,000 donation to Feeding America announced Sept. 3 by Advisors Excel, a national insurance marketing organization headquartered in Topeka, Kansas.
Coming on Feeding America’s National Hunger Action Day®, the announcement helps to jumpstart efforts to raise awareness of hunger in the United States throughout the month of September, which has been designated by the hunger-relief organization as National Hunger Action Month™.
“This is a very natural partnership for us as we commit to helping build better communities for our employees and their families, for the agents and advisors we work with around the country and for our friends and neighbors,” said Advisors Excel Co-Founder Cody Foster. “Through its role helping to meet the most basic need of providing food for people facing hunger, Feeding America also helps address the needs of impoverished youth and seniors and low-income families in rural and urban communities — all areas in which we take a special interest.”
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Through the network, 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across the country provide more than 3 billion meals to more than 46 million people each year.
“Feeding America is deeply grateful for Advisors Excel’s generous support and its ongoing commitment to helping individuals who struggle with hunger,” said Dan Nisbet, vice president of development at Feeding America. “Food-insecure Americans exist in every community of our nation and Advisors Excel’s partnership will help us provide more than 3 million meals to families and children in need through our nationwide network of member food banks.”
Fifty percent of the Advisors Excel donation is earmarked to help food banks in the regional area that encompasses the company’s home community. That $250,000 will be directed to Harvesters, a Feeding America member food bank, and will result in 750,000 meals over five years for the 26 counties Harvesters serves in both Kansas and Missouri.
The Advisors Excel donation was prompted in part by the 100 Million Meals Challenge being led by best-selling author, entrepreneur and life coach Tony Robbins. Last December, Robbins announced he would donate all the proceeds from his latest book, “MONEY: MASTER THE GAME — 7 Steps to Financial Freedom,” to Feeding America, making a minimum pledge of 50 million meals to the organization and challenging others to come together to match his donation in order to provide a total of 100 million meals.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Advisors Excel over the past several years and to see for myself the culture of the company and the nature of the people who work there, so it’s no surprise to me that they are stepping up in a big way to help address the very real, very important challenge of hunger in this country,” Robbins said. “I’m thrilled and very grateful for their commitment to the 100 Million Meals Challenge, and I hope their generosity will spark others to action, as well.”
In addition to the Feeding America donation, the company also announced an initiative that will see the company’s 320 employees take time each week to volunteer for a wide array of charitable organizations and causes in Topeka and surrounding communities. Over the next year, the company expects to spend a minimum of 4,000 hours in the community providing hands-on assistance.
“Cody, Derek and I have been greatly blessed with success and prosperity, but we didn’t get here by ourselves,” said Advisors Excel Co-Founder David Callanan. “We had help along the way, and we believe it’s our obligation to help others find success, as well. It’s what we try to do for those we hire, and it’s what we try to do through our efforts in the community. Many of our dreams have become a reality, now we want to help others realize their dreams, as well.”
About Advisors Excel: Advisors Excel is an Insurance Marketing Organization (IMO) founded in 2005 by David Callanan, Cody Foster and Derek Thompson. The company is independently owned and currently employs more than 300 individuals in its home office in Topeka, Kansas. Advisors Excel helps independent insurance producers and financial advisors nationwide enhance their practices and increase their market share through access to proprietary products, unparalleled training, proven marketing and lead generation support and a culture in which the nation’s top producers can continually refine their skills and better serve their clients. For more information about Advisors Excel visit www.advisorsexcel.com.
About Feeding America: Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
