ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Hannaford and the Hannaford Charitable Foundation announced a $100,000 donation to the National Alliance on Mental Illness-New York State (NAMI-NYS). The donation will help the non-profit organization continue building resources for individuals affected by mental illness or mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The donation is one part of an overall $400,000 commitment from Hannaford to support the work of NAMI branches in New York and New England, which are working to expand mental health programs and services to frontline workers, parents, young adults, and the elderly.
“Mental health is integral to the health and well-being of our associates, our families and our communities. By raising awareness and reducing stigma, we hope that more people will talk about their mental health experiences or seek help or support,” said Nicole Devoe-Lewis, Senior Vice President of Retail Operations and member of the Hannaford Charitable Foundation.
In addition to using the funding to support mental health awareness and outreach, NAMI-NYS will expand its programs and services, including a new interactive speaker series focused on topics such as mental health in schools, criminal justice and crisis response, multicultural mental health, and mental health in the workplace.
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S adults are experiencing elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19, including increased depression and anxiety. The CDC also found that the number of adults with recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder increased from 36.4 to 41.5 percent; while the percentage of individuals reporting unmet mental health care needs increased from 9.2 to 11.7 percent between August 2020 and February 2021.
