Bank Iowa Names Recipients of Crowdsourced Community Give Back Program

June 1, 2020

 

Nineteen organizations across the state benefit from Bank Iowa’s Helping Hand initiative

Bank Iowa today announced the recipients of its first-ever crowdsourced community give back program, Helping Hand. The initiative asked community members to submit ideas both big and small across 23 Iowa communities.   The following individuals and organizations will receive financial support from Bank Iowa.  

  • Crossroads of Pella, Ltd.: Crossroads will use the funds to bring medical quality masks to the city of Pella.
  • Essex Child Care Center: Funds will alleviate some of the losses from having to cancel the center’s annual soup and pie supper, its largest annual fund-raising event.
  • First United Methodist Church: The church’s food pantry is serving an increased number of clients through means such as drive-by pickup, and the funds will go to support continuing this effort.
  • Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa: Bank Iowa funds will lessen the severity of the financial impact from not being able to sell as many cookies door-to-door and in-store due to COVID-19 restrictions.
  • Goodwill of Central Iowa: As reopening continues, Goodwill anticipates an increased need for cleaning. Funds will help purchases cleaning supplies during a time when Goodwill is generating no retail revenue.
  • Humboldt Public Library/Library Foundation: With fewer activities open for children, the library will use funding to support what it expects will be a busy summer season.
  • Lied Public Library: The library will put Bank Iowa funds toward the installation of more Free Little Libraries in community parks.
  • Mahaska County YMCA: Childcare not only continued, but expanded, during COVID-19. Funds will alleviate some of the unbudgeted costs associated with caring for more families, including PPE for staff and cleaning supplies for the facility.
  • Pella Historical Society and Museums: The cancellation of the 2020 Pella Tulip Time was financially challenging for the museum, as the event is PHSM’s largest fundraiser. PHSM is also a sponsor of the event, and wants to ensure it is able to contribute at the same level next year, despite the deficit position brought on by COVID-19. Funds will be used to pay for the many items PHSM anticipates for 2021’s Pella Tulip Time.
  • Red Oak Food Pantry and Shenandoah Food Bank: Funds will be used to serve the growing number of community members confronting food insecurity.
  • St. Joseph Community School: The school will put Bank Iowa funds to work in its ‘grab and go’ breakfast program to ensure more students are focused and engaged thanks to a nutritious breakfast.
  • Turkey Valley Elementary: Kindergarten through 4th-grade teachers will use the funds to place a new book or two in the hands of the community’s youngest readers.
  • Turkey Valley Food Service Director: Funds will help launch a program to replace the garden crop that will no longer be possible because of social distancing restrictions. The team will provide vegetable plants at meal drop-off sites for students to grow at home.
  • The Well Eatery: Now that restaurants are opening back up, the funds will kickstart the reopening of the Well Eatery, which provides seniors and other community members a a consistent place to experience multi-generation fellowship and eat a nutritious meal.
  • WESCO Industries Inc.: Bank Iowa funds will help purchase Chromebooks with cameras to allow home-quarantined clients to communicate with peers via virtual conferencing.
  • West Des Moines Community School District: The district will apply the donation dollars to two programs, COVID-food and COVID-technology to support the student population struggling with access to both food and technology.
  • Younker 8 at Unity Point: Funds will be used to celebrate and thank the nurses caring for COVID-19 positive patients.
  • Upper Des Moines Opportunity: The organization will use its Helping Hand gift to continue addressing the effects of poverty on individuals and families.

“On behalf of the entire Bank Iowa team, I thank the organizers, leaders and neighbors who took the time to let us know where our contributions will have the greatest impact,” said Bank Iowa President and CEO Jim Plagge. “We’re so excited to see all the creative programs and big ideas Helping Hand funds will help bring to life.”  

Photos of recipients can be found here:

Crossroads of Pella, Ltd.:

Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa:

Goodwill of Central Iowa:

Humboldt Public Library/Library Foundation:

Lied Public Library:

Mahaska County YMCA:

Pella Historical Society and Museums:

Shenandoah Food Bank:

St. Joseph Community School:

Turkey Valley Elementary:

The Well Eatery:

WESCO Industries Inc.:

West Des Moines Community School District:

Younker 8 and Unity Point:

Upper Des Moines Opportunity: