bankHometown Launches 14th Annual Neighbors Helping Neighbors Campaign

bankHometown kicks off its 14th Annual Neighbors Helping Neighbors Campaign on November 1st with a challenge to local residents to help support local food pantries and a way for the bank and its customers to make a real difference in the lives of local residents.

Customers of the bank and community members are invited to be a “Hometown Hero” for a $1 donation or a “Hometown Superhero” for a $5 donation. bankHometown then matches donations dollar for dollar and splits the funds among food pantries that serve the areas surrounding each of its thirteen offices in Massachusetts and Connecticut. In addition to the in-branch fund drive, Hometown Bank also sends a letter to business customers inviting their help and contributions, which the bank also matches dollar for dollar.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors donations benefit the Oxford Ecumenical Food Shelf at the United Methodist Church in Oxford; Food Share, a Southbridge-based program that serves residents of Sturbridge, Charlton and Southbridge; the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at Sacred Heart Church in Webster; the Athol Salvation Army Food Pantry; CARE Food Pantry in Clinton, the Auburn Youth and Family Services, Inc. Food Pantry and Ginny’s Helping Hand in Leominster. The Connecticut pantries being served are Daily Bread in Putnam; Friends of Assisi in Killingly and Thompson Ecumenical Empowerment Group (TEEG) in Thompson.

Last year’s campaign concluded with a total donation of $17,500.00, with individual checks in the amount of $2,500.00 were presented to each of the seven participating food pantries. To date, more than $117,500.00 has been distributed through this program.

Hometown Bank is a $400 million mutual bank with offices in Massachusetts (Athol, Auburn, Leominster, Oxford, South Lancaster, Sturbridge and Webster) and Connecticut (Putnam, Brooklyn, Killingly, Thompson, and Woodstock).