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First State Celebrates Success of Its First Help & Hope Community Giving Drive

First State’s commitment to the communities they serve was relevant in the recent success of their first Help & Hope Community Giving Drive. The initiative, which ran for three weeks across all branches, focused on collecting essential items to support local organizations and their community members in need this holiday season.

During the drive, customers, employees and community members rallied together to contribute toys and books, food and personal hygiene products. The overwhelming generosity and spirit of giving demonstrated by the community have made a significant impact on the success of this program.

Each branch connected with local organizations and charities to ensure that all items collected stayed in the community and reached those most in need.

• Beatrice delivered toys to Gage County CASA to be gifted to children in their community who are victims of abuse and neglect.
• Dorchester donated multiple games to the Blue Value Community Action in Crete and bags of personal care products to Saline Eldercare in Wilber.
• Lincoln branches collected boxes of toys, food and personal care donations that all went to the Barnabas Community in Lincoln. Barnabas works to give those in the community who are experiencing poverty and homelessness a sense of relief.
• Plattsmouth sent their food and personal care donations to SENCA who supports residents in Cass County. The toys they collected were donated to Miss Pat who helps families in need in the area with toys, beds, clothes and more.
• Waverly donated several food items, socks, gloves and personal hygiene items to the First United Methodist Church in Waverly who monitors the food bank and pantry.
• Wilber collected over 10 bags of toys, personal care items and food to support those in need in their community with deliveries to Saline Eldercare and the Giving Tree Program. 

“We were thrilled to see the outpouring of generosity from our employees and communities for this program,” said Jerry Lentfer, CEO of First State Bank Nebraska. “This initiative exemplifies our commitment to making a meaningful impact beyond banking and underscores our dedication to the well-being of the communities we are privileged to serve.”

The success of the Help & Hope Community Giving Drive is a testament to the collective generosity and community spirit that defines First State. The bank remains committed to supporting local initiatives that contribute to the overall welfare of the communities it operates in.

First State would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to all those who participated in the Help & Hope Community Giving Drive as well as the dedicated staff who worked to coordinate and facilitate the collection efforts. They would also like to send a huge thank you to all the local charities and organizations in their local communities for all the hard work they put in during the holiday season and throughout the year.