Firms giving back: E. Cohen raises $25K for local hunger initiative

Rockville, Maryland-based firm E. Cohen raised $25,000 for the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s Food for Montgomery Fund during the 2020 holiday season.

Through appeals to clients, staff and friends of the firm, E. Cohen reached its $25,000 goal over the winter break.

“It’s truly exciting and heartening to see how clients, employees and friends rallied around this extremely important cause,” said managing principal Eric Cohen in a statement. “The Community Foundation has proven to be an invaluable resource for families struggling in our community. E. Cohen is very happy to be able to help them continue to do the important work that they do daily.”

The Food for Montgomery Fund is a coordinated public-private response to address food insecurity among households in Montgomery County, Maryland due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 115,000 Montgomery County residents are currently aided through the program.

“Knowing E. Cohen’s longtime commitment to supporting local communities in need, we are deeply honored that the firm adopted the Food for Montgomery initiative to be its 2020 holiday beneficiary,” said Anna Hargrave, executive director for Montgomery County at the Greater Washington Community Foundation, in a statement. “This generous donation will help advance vital efforts which are providing relief to people in need and will serve as an inspiring example to other companies by demonstrating what it truly means to do well and do good.”

Big Four firm Ernst & Young saw its College MAP mentorship program go virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Founded in 2009, the College MAP pairs EY volunteer mentors with junior and senior high school students in underserved communities throughout the country to give them a pathway to success in higher education.

Despite a transition to virtual sessions in 2020, last year's program saw the following results:

• 1,500 EY volunteers and 1,100 students participated in the program;
• 341 students received nearly $290,000 from the College MAP Just In Time Fund, created to support students with unexpected COVID-19 expenses; and
• More than 400 students received nearly $800,000 in scholarships.

More on the MAP program is available on EY's site here.