BRYANT BANK TURNS BANKING INTO THANKING

 
ALABAMA – Bryant Bank put care into action this holiday season with Turning Banking into Thanking.  Over 14 days, Bankers from across the state supported 14 Alabama nonprofits through financial contributions and acts of service.  An additional 15 individuals were helped through the purchase of gifts, clothes, or time shared.
 
“The word care is something that our team has focused on intentionally in 2019 and it was important to us that we finished the year strong with something that embodied it,” said Claude Edwards, bank president.  “We wanted to give the gift of giving and caring this year.”
 
Organizations that received financial contributions included:  The Community Soup Bowl (Tuscaloosa), Community Food Bank of Central Alabama (Birmingham), Feeding the Gulf Coast (Mobile), Penelope House (Mobile), Christian Service Center (Gulf Shores), The Exceptional Foundation Gulf Coast (Daphne), Free 2 Teach (Huntsville), Christmas Charities Year-Round (Huntsville), Greater Huntsville Humane Society (Huntsville), and Manna House (Huntsville).
 
Bryant Bankers volunteered at the following organizations: Community Food Bank of Central Alabama (Birmingham), Feeding the Gulf Coast (Mobile), Prodisee Pantry (Foley), and Manna House (Huntsville).
 
Bankers also facilitated special activities for a variety of organizations. 
 
For Tuscaloosa’s One Place, the Bank supported two families with a total of eight children.  Bankers shopped for gifts on a Saturday and hosted the families for a Family Night at the Downtown Tuscaloosa Community Room.  They enjoyed a nice dinner as the kids opened many gifts, decorated cookies, built ornaments, and enjoyed holiday music.  A surprise visit from Santa took place where he delivered new bicycles for each child.
 
Bobby Humphrey, Bryant Bank’s VP of business development, shared an inspirational message for the teenagers at the Tuscaloosa Juvenile Detention Center.  Bankers catered in lunch and surprised the staff and the residents with six new 50’’ televisions.  While they were excited, it was also important for Bryant Bankers to understand that the ability to watch TV was an earned privilege.
 
One teenager shared with the Tuscaloosa Juvenile Detention Center staff, “I’m marking this down as one of the best days ever. They seemed to care about me even though I’m dressed in orange.”
 
The Mobile team spent time shopping for a family that was being supported by the Penelope House.  The bankers enjoyed the time together and delivering their gifts and a check to the organization.
 
The Tuscaloosa team purchased a large order of canned goods for the Tuscaloosa Community Soup Bowl and ended the week with quality time spent with five of the Bank’s elderly customers.  These customers enjoyed gift baskets, lunches, and trips to the grocery store.
 
As we wrapped Turning Banking into Thanking up, Humphrey shared, “We all have something that we can give. That’s what this season is all about.  Giving.  And never lose hope of that.”
 
To see the full story of Turning Banking into Thanking, a video has been launched.  The video can be viewed on our website: https://www.bryantbank.com/turning-banking-into-thanking-2019/