300+ Volunteers. 15 Locations. $100,000 in Giving.
PERKASIE, Pa (May 2022) โ Penn Community Bank, the largest independent mutual bank in eastern Pennsylvania, hosted its first-ever Day of Service on Wednesday, May 25. The organization-wide event partnered 300+ bank team members with over a dozen nonprofit partners throughout Bucks Co., Montgomery Co., and the Lehigh Valley to donate over 1,000 employee hours of volunteer service as well as $100,000 in charitable contributions.
โFor thousands of neighbors across our markets, the impact of the pandemic added further strain on the challenges they already faced โ from finances to food insecurity, housing to mental health. And the nonprofit organizations serving those needs have seen over two years of disruption themselves which has resulted in resource limitations, declining donations, and the curbing of volunteers,โ said Jeane M. Vidoni, president and CEO of Penn Community Bank. โFor 150 years, Penn Community Bank has always been a catalyst for growth in the communities we serve โ whether as financial supporters, dedicated volunteers, or advocates for positive change. Understanding this situation, we wanted to leverage the strengths that have always differentiated us as a powerhouse community bank. This first-ever Day of Services is truly an expression of who we are and what Greater Good Banking is all about.โ
โPenn Community Bank Day of Service was a commitment made from the entire organization,โ said Bernard Tynes, Penn Community Bank Director of Marketing. โFrom giving every team member the opportunity to get involved to pledging $100,000 to help our partner organizations, this level of authentic service is only possible from an organization that understands what it means to be a part of the communities it serves.โ
Nonprofit and community group partners involved with Penn Community Bankโs Day of Service included:
- United Way of Bucks County: Securing basic household supplies is often impossible for families who are barely making ends meet.ย Penn Community Bank team members helped address that challenge by working at the HELP Center โ an 8,000sqft distribution location and retail storefront full of brand new essential items like furniture, home goods, toiletries, food, and more for those in need.
- NOVA: NOVA assists hundreds of women, children, and families who were the victims of crime each year in Bucks County. As part of their recognition of those impacted by crime, a five-acre memorial site at Core Creek Park was established in 1998. Penn Community Bank team members worked to beautify the site, including cleaning and maintaining more than 30 trees, several benches, and a gazebo built to honor victims of crime.
- YWCA of Bucks County: The YWCA Bucks County is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. As part of this mission, Penn Community Bank team members assisted the organizationโs well-stocked food pantry on site.
- Woods Services: Woods applies evidenced-based treatments and a public health approach to develop innovative and individualized programming that empower people with disabilities and challenges to reach their highest potential. Penn Community Bank team members worked to beautify the organizationโs campus, including several painting projects.
- Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County: Habitat ReStores accept donations and sell a constantly changing inventory of diverse, high-quality merchandise to the public at a fraction of the retail price, while diverting reusable household items and building materials from area landfills โ all while raising valuable funds for Habitat for Humanityโs worthy mission. Penn Community Bank team members helped staff the store and unload and stock items.
- Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties: Habitat ReStores accept donations and sell a constantly changing inventory of diverse, high-quality merchandise to the public at a fraction of the retail price, while diverting reusable household items and building materials from area landfills โ all while raising valuable funds for Habitat for Humanityโs worthy mission. Penn Community Bank team members helped staff the store and unload and stock items.
- Rolling Harvest Food Rescue: Since 2010, Rolling Harvest has been focused on partnering with local farmers, making it easy for them to share their fresh, healthy produce with the food-insecure communities in which they live.ย Penn Community Bank team members visited the organizationโs farm headquarters and helped process produce for distribution.
- Ivy Hill Therapeutic Equestrian Center: Ivy Hill uses equine-assisted services and therapies for differently-abled individuals in order to help them develop self-sustaining life skills and the confidence to use them. In support of this mission, Penn Community Bank team members worked to increase pasture space through the removal of unused outbuildings.
- Bucks County SPCA: With two locations in Bucks Co., the SPCA exists to assist animals and need. At their Quakertown location, Penn Community Bank team members assisted in outdoor site beautification and landscaping.
- Perkasie Borough Dog Park: The Perkasie Borough Dog Park offers local canine owners a place to let their pets run and interact. Following a series of storms and flooding in 2021, the park is in need of a facelift. Penn Community Bank team members assisted borough staff in refreshing the park, including mulching, cleaning, trash collection, and more.
- Jenkintown Food Cupboard: Spring is the perfect time for cleaning โ even for food pantries. Penn Community Bank team members joined Jenkintown Food Cupboard volunteers in doing a deep clean of the location in advance of new donations and summer use.
- Lansdale Area Family YMCA: The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where theyโre from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. Penn Community Bank team members worked on a variety of projects, including landscaping, planting, and cleaning.
- Second Harvest Food Pantry: Second Harvestโs mission is to obtain food and distribute it to people in need through area non-profits, and to provide resources for education and advocacy to end hunger. In support, Penn Community Bank team members helped pack boxes for the organizationโs PA Senior Food Box program โ a program that provides monthly food boxes to low-income seniors.
- Advocates for the Homeless of Upper Bucks: AHUB operates the Code Blue cold weather homeless shelter in Quakertown Borough. As they conclude their season, Penn Community Bank team members assisted volunteers in deep cleaning and preparing the location for use next winter.
ย About Penn Community Bank: Penn Community Bank holds more than $2.6 billion in assets, employs more than 300 people, and offers banking, lending and investments at 20+ bank financial centers and three administrative centers throughout Bucks and Montgomery counties, Pennsylvania. As an independent, mutual financial institution, Penn Community Bank is not publicly traded and operates with its long-term mission in mind: to help businesses grow and prosper, to provide financial resources to individuals and families throughout their lifetimes, to strengthen the local economy, and to partner with local organizations to act as a catalyst for positive growth in every market it serves.
