Amazon has announced more than $50,000 in monetary and in-kind donations will go to support residents and small businesses in the Lehigh Valley.

The region has seen an increase in requests for support since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The donations will benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania will receive a $22,000 donation to help provide meals to the 60,000 people who receive food from the food bank’s network every month, more than half of whom are children and seniors.

This monetary donation matched a recent in-kind food donation by Amazon, which provided more than 10,000 pounds of food to help serve the needs of the community.

“The pandemic has had a big impact on many Pennsylvanians. People who have lost their jobs during the crisis are turning to the Second Harvest network to keep food on the table. With the support of individuals and companies like Amazon, we are able to meet the rising needs of our community,” said Katarah Jordan, Second Harvest Food Bank director. “We are very thankful for Amazon’s support.”

Amazon’s $10,000 donation to the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce will help more than 300 small businesses in the Lehigh Valley area cover operational costs, such as paying rent, while being out of business due to the pandemic.

The Chamber of Commerce will distribute the funds to small businesses in the area through its Lehigh Valley COVID-19 Relief Fund.

“The Chamber of Commerce established the Lehigh Valley COVID-19 Relief Fund to help businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, and we’ve been able to support over 320,” said Alison Pickel, Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce senior vice president of member relations and operations.

“In the beginning, we recognized pretty quickly our businesses and nonprofits needed help.

“Amazon’s contribution and partnership with The Chamber have offered a helping hand to businesses in our communities to stay open and hang on.

“We are very grateful and appreciative for the support of Amazon and their commitment to our communities.”

Matt, owner of The Cut, a local barbershop, commented on the grant.

“Being out of work for the last four weeks has been tough, to say the least,” Matt said. “It has been a struggle but the collaborated efforts to keep small businesses afloat make future days seem bright. I am extremely appreciative of this grant.”

More than 2,500 employees across four Amazon fulfillment centers and delivery stations throughout Lehigh Valley came together to make this donation, including Amazon’s ABE2 and ABE3 fulfillment centers in Breinigsville, its ABE4 fulfillment center in Easton, and its DAE1 delivery station in Bethlehem.

“Amazon is proud to call the Lehigh Valley home, and we’re honored to support the community during this difficult time.

“We want to help make sure families have food on the table and small businesses can keep the lights on,” said Kyle Fell, site manager of Amazon’s Breinigsville fulfillment center.

“The Second Harvest Food Bank and the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce are doing everything they can to provide for Pennsylvanians right now, and we are honored to support their efforts.”

This donation is part of Amazon’s commitment to helping communities at this critical time both here in Pennsylvania and across the globe.

Find more information on ways Amazon is giving back on its Amazon’s COVID-19 blog.