Banker & Tradesman file photo

Eastern Bank’s philanthropic foundation will donate an additional $280,000 toward COVID-19 relief initiatives, bringing the foundation’s total COVID-related giving to more than $15 million.

The Eastern Bank Foundation’s latest donation will address issues of food insecurity across Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the foundation said in a statement, with 56 organizations receiving grants.

“No one should have to go to bed hungry, and so many more people are struggling to get enough food to eat as a result of the pandemic,” Nancy Huntington Stager, president and CEO of the Eastern Bank Foundation, said in the statement. “Working with many local partners we will continue to do what we can to help eliminate inequities and bring security and stability to the communities we serve. We thank the teams working on the ground to provide food assistance, especially now as winter begins and the holiday season is upon us.”

Grant recipients provide food assistance across Boston, Cape Cod, Merrimack Valley, MetroWest, the North Shore and the South Shore. New Hampshire grant recipients serve communities in Dover, Concord, Manchester and Portsmouth.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Eastern Bank Foundation said it has provided COVID-19 relief donations to more than 665 community-based organizations totaling more than $15 million.

The foundation has also provided COVID-related grants for last-mile vaccination efforts and for aid to immigrants, the elderly, survivors of domestic violence, mental health services, community health centers, food banks and pantries, multi-service providers and community foundations, early childhood development providers, safe and affordable housing providers and organizations assisting businesses of color.