Berkshire Bank Named Among Top Charitable Contributors

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank announced it was named by Boston Business Journal as one of Massachusetts’ Most Charitable Companies at the publication’s annual Corporate Citizenship Summit in Boston on Sept. 8.

The Boston Business Journal is one of the leading sources for business news, research, and events in the Greater Boston area. Each year it honors a select list of companies for their charitable work in the community. Berkshire Bank ranked 42nd for total financial contributions, with more than $1.27 million donated in Massachusetts alone and more than $2 million donated overall. Massachusetts-based bank employees also donated more than 27,000 hours of volunteer service. Berkshire Bank joined a select list of statewide, national, and international companies honored at the summit.

The award recognized Berkshire Bank and Berkshire Bank Foundation’s philanthropic investments in the community through their charitable grants, corporate giving, scholarships, in-kind donations, and employee volunteerism. Annually, Berkshire Bank and Berkshire Bank Foundation provide more than $2 million to community organizations, as well as scholarships to high-school seniors with a record of academic excellence and financial need.

In addition to financial support, XTEAM, the bank’s employee-volunteer program, provides employees with paid time off to volunteer during regular business hours. In 2015, more than 70% of Berkshire Bank’s employees donated over 40,000 hours of service to benefit community organizations across the bank’s service area. This year, Berkshire completed its signature Xtraordinary Day in which 95% of its employees completed 56 service projects across the bank’s footprint, all in one day. As a result, Berkshire Bank is on pace to achieve the highest volunteer participation rate of any company in the U.S. in 2016.