The Knights of Columbus announced Tuesday a $100,000 donation to the Connecticut Food Bank.

“This donation will support our increased expenses and service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Connecticut Food Bank interim CEO Daniel Gomez said in a statement. “We have stepped up our purchases of food and have increased deliveries to each of the six counties we serve. This donation is perfectly timed to help us meet an ever-increasing need as our transportation and handling costs have risen.”

The Connecticut Food Bank works with partner organizations to serve Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London and Windham counties.

The Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic fraternal group, said in the news release that the gift is part of a multiphase campaign to assist food banks during the pandemic, with major donations slated for food banks in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and other large cities.

The first phase includes a more than $1 million commitment, and the help of volunteers across the country who will assist in distributing food, the release states.

“In addition to confronting the threat of the COVID illness itself, we are facing a pandemic situation in which hunger is a growing concern for an increasing number of unemployed individuals and their families,” Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight and CEO Carl Anderson said in a statement. “As an organization, we have provided vital support at key moments including during the 1918 flu pandemic, during two world wars, and after natural disasters. Our ‘Leave No Neighbor Behind’ initiative continues that tradition, and we will work directly with food banks to help ensure that food reaches those most in need in communities from coast to coast.”

The organization is encouraging members to volunteer at food banks and help distribute food and make blood donations. The organization also created a program to help dioceses with short-term financing.

More information is available at the organization's website, www.kofc.org.