RSM US Foundation Donates $500,000 to Food Banks Nationwide and in Canada

CHICAGO – (May 6, 2021) – The RSM US Foundation recently announced a donation of $500,000 to 76 food banks across the U.S. and in Canada, in support of the foundation’s mission of building tomorrow’s middle market leaders by supporting programs focused on education, and organizations serving youth in the areas of hunger, housing and health.

Food banks were selected by local leaders across RSM US LLP’s (RSM’s) 87 offices in the U.S. and Canada, with donation amounts calculated based on the number of RSM people in each office. Additional donations from RSM employees across the firm raised an additional nearly $7,500 for local food banks.

This donation bolsters a $1.8 million donation made by RSM and the RSM US Foundation to food banks last year near the onset of the pandemic. At that time, the firm offered each of its people a $50-a-week stipend for them to spend to support local restaurants or grocers which were hard hit by stay-at-home orders. Funds not spent were donated to local food banks. This resulted in $2.9 million being spent by RSM’s people at local restaurants and grocers, and $1.8 million being donated to food banks across the country and in Canada, for a grand total of $4.7 million supporting the communities where RSM’s people live and work.      

According to Feeding America, 42 million people (one in eight), including 13 million children (one in six), may experience food insecurity in 2021. This is a slight improvement from the organization’s 2020 projections (45 million people and 15 million children). Feeding America further projects that 21% of Black individuals (one in five) may experience food insecurity in 2021, compared to 11% of white individuals (one in nine), showing that significant racial disparities in food insecurity which existed before COVID-19 remain in the wake of the pandemic.

“The pandemic has had a disproportionate adverse impact on some of our most vulnerable populations, and those impacts are continuing, even with vaccines rolling out and recovery now in sight,” said Doug Opheim, chief financial officer with RSM US LLP and chair of the board of the RSM US Foundation. “We hope that by extending our support of local food banks, we’ll continue to have a positive impact in our communities by helping those who need it most.”  

Learn more about the RSM US Foundation and RSM’s philanthropic efforts on our website.