bankESB Donates $10,000 Toward HCC’s Culinary Arts Institute

HOLYOKE — bankESB donated $10,000 to the Holyoke Community College Foundation to support students preparing for careers in the culinary-arts and hospitality industries.

Harry Montalvo, bankESB’s Community Development specialist, and Tiffany Raines, assistant vice president of the bank’s Holyoke branch, presented a ceremonial check in that amount to HCC president Christina Royal and HCC Foundation officials on Sept. 25 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.

The HCC Foundation is the charitable, nonprofit, fundraising arm of the college’s division of Institutional Advancement.

“This kind of investment helps further the work that we’re able to do,” said Royal. “We’re very grateful for the support of businesses that are interested in investing in our local community and that also value education as a key component of what we need to lift up our communities.”

The donation will go toward programs, equipment, maintenance, instruction, and student services at the 20,000-square-foot Culinary Arts Institute, which opened last year at 164 Race St. in downtown Holyoke.

“We’re happy to do it,” said Raines. “It’s an absolutely beautiful facility.”

bankESB has been a financial supporter of the college since 2003, contributing over the years to all the foundation’s capital campaigns, as well as being a consistent sponsor of the annual HCC Golf Classic fundraising tournament.

“We are very happy to continue our partnership with the college,” Montalvo said. “This building is great, excellent, beautiful.”