Daily News

Florence Bank Customers Urged to Vote on Community Grants

NORTHAMPTON — Which nonprofit organizations in the Pioneer Valley will be the lucky recipients of funds from the $100,000 set aside by Florence Bank in its annual Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program? Bank customers have until Dec. 31 to cast their votes.

For more than a dozen years, the program has been helping organizations throughout the Pioneer Valley. From aid to families in need of food, to training for cancer-patient counselors, to technology improvements in schools, the Florence Bank Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program typically helps about 30 nonprofits each year. In recent years, the total grant amount was $75,000. However, the bank has now increased the amount to $100,000.

The process is a simple one. Florence Bank customers can vote online (www.florencebank.com/vote) or in person at any of the bank’s branches. The program puts the sum of $100,000 up for a popular vote by allowing any account holder to nominate a local nonprofit to receive a share of the funds.

Although many banks support the communities in which they operate, the Florence Bank program is unique in that it leaves a portion of the charitable gift-giving decisions to its customers. “As a community bank, we believe strongly in supporting the communities we call home,” said Florence Bank President and CEO John Heaps Jr. “We are very pleased to be able to increase the amount of the grant to $100,000, and we strongly encourage all of our customers to make their wishes known through this voting process.”

During its dozen years, the Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program has become increasingly popular. Last year, more than 12,000 bank customers voted for the nonprofits they wanted to see benefit from this program, representing a 21% increase over the previous year. And last year, three nonprofits received enough votes for a maximum $5,000 grant: Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and Northampton High School’s PTO. Florence Bank also distributed grants to homeless shelters, survival centers, senior centers, libraries, and several schools.

Through the Customers’ Choice program, the bank has disbursed more than $650,000 in charitable grants to 98 organizations since 2002. Any qualifying nonprofit organization that receives 50 votes or more will receive a share of the funds. In order to qualify, the organization must be a 501(c)(3) or equivalent and agree to spend the donated funds on local needs.