FLORENCE—Over 100 nonprofit leaders representing 40 organizations across the Pioneer Valley came together Tuesday night at Florence Bank’s annual Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program reception to network and accept a total of $150,000 in awards.

The annual event took place at the Garden House in Look Park in Florence. Recipients praised Florence Bank not only for its generosity but also for providing a space to celebrate area nonprofits and their dedication to the community.

“Being part of the Customers’ Choice awards reminds us that we’re important and relevant,” said Chelsea Kline, executive director of the Cancer Connection in Northampton, which received a $5,000 award, the highest possible. “It’s heartwarming and reassuring to know that the Cancer Connection is needed, and the community recognizes that, and having a bank that creates this beautiful event is really heartwarming to me. It speaks volumes about the values of Florence Bank.”

“Our Customers’ Choice Community Grants program is very unique, and we are proud to give voice to our customers and their preferences on where we allocate our funds,” said President and CEO Matt Garrity. “We also enjoy having the chance to connect with each of them and to hear about the important work they are doing in our midst. We know it is good work because our customers voted for them!”

The grants program was founded in 2002 and, through it, Florence Bank customers are invited to vote for their favorite local nonprofit in hopes it will receive a share of grant funding.

Voting takes place all year long, online at florencebank.com/vote and in bank branches, and each customer has only one vote. To qualify for a community grant, organizations must receive at least 50 votes. In 2024, over 7,500 votes were cast, making 40 nonprofits eligible for a grant.

One of the newest recipients was Stone Soup Café in Greenfield, which received $2,257. The nonprofit provides a pay-what-you-can, gluten-free, from-scratch meal and entertainment on Hope Street every Saturday between noon and 1:30 p.m. to roughly 200 people from all walks of life. The nonprofit also delivers meals to an additional 120 families. 

“The opportunity Florence Bank offers for customers to vote on nonprofits that are important to them is awesome,” said Jansyn Thaw, director of fundraising and marketing at Stone Soup. “We were able to invite our community to show their support for us, and the bank was willing to listen to that input. They’re receptive, which I really appreciate.”

Once again, Dakin Humane Society of Springfield received a $5,000 grant, as it has for the past 13 years. The nonprofit has received a Customers’ Choice grant each of the 23 years the program has been offered.

“When we go to the ceremonies, and customers have selected Dakin, we see this as ‘We’ve done all this together,’” said Stacey Price, director of development and marketing. “It’s remarkable to see the longevity of the relationship. Dakin is about people and pets, not just pets. Florence Bank’s customers chose us because they believe the same thing.”

In addition to Dakin and Cancer Connection, these organizations received a $5,000 grant: Amherst Survival Center, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in Chicopee, Friends of Forbes Library in Northampton, Friends of Northampton Legion Baseball, Friends of the Williamsburg Library, Goshen Firefighters Association, Historic Northampton, It Takes A Village in Huntington, Northampton Survival Center, Our Lady of the Hills Parish in Haydenville and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Florence.

Along with Stone Soup, the following organizations also received an award: Bright Spot Therapy Dogs in West Brookfield, $4,626; Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, $4,552; Williamsburg Firefighters Association, $4,478; Manna Soup Kitchen in Northampton, $4,367; Friends of M.N. Spear Memorial Library in Shutesbury, $4,182; Friends of Lilly Library in Florence, $4,034; Amherst Neighbors, $3,737; BARC, Inc. in Belchertown, $3,552; Ludlow Boys & Girls Club, $3,515; Kestrel Land Trust in Amherst, $3,293; Smith Vocational High School PTO in Northampton, $3,293; Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School in Hadley, $3,071; Easthampton Community Center, $3,034; Northampton Neighbors, $3,997; Thomas J O’Connor Adoption Center in Springfield, $2,849; Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst, $2,812; Northampton Community Music Center, $2,812; Northampton Youth Football, $2,812; Edward Hopkins Educational Foundation in Hatfield, $2,701; New Hingham Regional Elementary School PTO in Chesterfield, $2,701; Grow Food Northampton, Inc. in Florence, $2,516; Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Holyoke, $2,368; Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, $2,331; Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School in South Hadley, $2,257; Safe Passage in Northampton, $1,998; and Northampton High School PTO, $1,850.

Stone Soup’s mission is to create community space to share nourishment, connection and learning for body, mind and spirit. It was founded in 2011 and has been a 501 (C) nonprofit since 2021. 

Each Saturday, the nonprofit offers restaurant-quality meals with a suggested cost of $15 per, and participants are invited to pay what they are able. The Florence Bank grant will help defray the cost of the food.

Thaw said many people who are unable to pay choose to volunteer to help prepare meals to “pay it back.” There are 15 volunteer drivers each week and about 50 who prep food, cook and serve.

“A lot of connecting and socializing happens on the sidewalk as people wait and shop in our community store,” she said. “We put up art. We have music playing. It’s like a mini street festival. We provide access to healthy food and give people a sense of community.”

Price, at Dakin, said funds from the bank help support its many programs that have evolved over the years, from the main adoption center to the spay and neuter clinic and pet health center. 

“We rotate where the funding goes each year, so, truly, Florence Bank and its customers have supported those programs by choosing us, and it’s remarkable to see the longevity of the relationship,” she said. “The community and customers are so committed to our programs. That means a lot.”

The Cancer Connection had 458 active participants who received 4,447 services in 2024, and its many support groups and integrative therapies, such as massage, are free and always have been.

“We fill many of the gaps in our communities and in our healthcare system because we look out for mind, body and spirit and community,” Kline, the executive director, said. “We help people process feelings, learn, share resources, and be held and seen in a full and raw and real way.

“Florence Bank’s grant helps us keep the doors open, the lights on and the services free of charge,” she added. “It’s so beautiful that our mission resonates with such a wide variety of people—because caring for people who are hurting resonates.”

Visit florencebank.com/cc-2025 to view the complete list of grant recipients.

Florence Bank has branches in Amherst, Belchertown, Chicopee, Easthampton, Granby, Hadley, Northampton, Williamsburg, West Springfield, Springfield, and it is headquartered in Florence.

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 25 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through Florence Financial Group to consumers and businesses. 

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Recognition for customer service, overall quality, and technology and tools were accepted on June 28

FLORENCE—Florence Bank accepted three of the four potential awards for banking excellence in Western Massachusetts and took part in a panel discussion at the Bank Best Expo! at MGM Springfield on June 28.

As part of the 2019 Banking Choice Awards review by 278,359 independent consumers in a double-blind scientific study, Florence Bank came out on top in Western Massachusetts in almost every category. 

At the expo, Monica Curhan, the bank’s senior vice president/marketing director, accepted two first-place awards, for customer service and overall quality, and a second-place honor for excellence in technology and tools.

Curhan also sat on a panel of bankers whose institutions consistently rank at the top in independent consumer surveys; they discussed best industry practices. Curhan was joined by Stephen Lewis, president of Thomaston Savings Bank and chairman of the Connecticut Bankers Association; Todd Tallman, president and treasurer of Cornerstone Bank in Massachusetts; and Mark Bodin, president of New Hampshire’s Savings Bank of Walpole. 

“Every decision we make is with the customer in mind, so it’s nice to know our efforts are resonating with our customers,” said Curhan. 

The Banking Choice Awards recognize the banks that receive the highest ratings from their own customers in four categories: customer service, technology, community contribution, and overall quality.

The rankings are based upon the Banking Benchmarks®, the industry’s gold standard of customer experience measurement, conducted twice per year among hundreds of thousands of households and businesses to get their unbiased opinions of the institutions with whom they bank.  

Banking Choice Awards honored the top three institutions in each category from each region in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. 

In addition to presenting the awardees, the banking expo also gives attendees the opportunity to network with peers, discover solutions from leaders in the banking community, and learn about the latest products and services in the industry.

Florence Bank has branches in Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, Granby, Hadley, Northampton, Williamsburg, West Springfield, and Springfield, and it is headquartered in Florence. 

Florence Bank is a mutually-owned savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 11 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, West Springfield and a new branch located on Allen Street in Springfield. Additionally, they offer 28 ATMs and a wide range of financial services including investment management through FSB Financial Group (FSBFG) to consumers and businesses.  Florence Bank is consistently voted best local bank by the readers of the Valley Advocate and the Daily Hampshire Gazette.  

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Voting in the bank’s Customers’ Choice Community Grants program open until December 31

FLORENCE—Florence Bank customers have until Monday, Dec. 31 to vote in the Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program for one area nonprofit in Western Mass they want the bank to support with grant funds.

The program is a year-long initiative. To qualify for a community grant, organizations must receive at least 50 customer votes before the year ends. Customers can vote online at www.florencebank.com/vote, or they can cast a ballot in person in one of the bank’s 10 branches in Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, Florence, Granby, Hadley, Northampton, Williamsburg and West Springfield.

When Florence Bank presents the awards for the Customers’ Choice program next spring, it will be the 17th year the grant initiative has been helping local nonprofits make an impact in Western Massachusetts communities.  

Each year, the bank donates a share of $100,000 to over 50 local organizations, and, in 2019, the bank will surpass the $1.1 million mark in terms of grants made to community nonprofits. The program is unique, as the bank empowers its customers to decide which organizations will receive a portion of the grant funds.

The grants program provides funds to a wide spectrum of organizations doing transformative work in the Pioneer Valley, including food pantries, therapy dog organizations, elementary schools and health support networks.

“Year after year, Florence Bank customers have voted for their favorite nonprofits. These organizations receive crucial resources that allow them to thrive in the communities they serve,” Florence Bank President and CEO John Heaps Jr. said. “We are so pleased to continue this good work throughout Western Mass. We are honored to be able to invest in these organizations that benefit our employees, customers, neighbors, families and friends.”

For more information, visit http://www.florencebank.com.

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Rankings of the 33 finalists were based on an independent survey measuring the customer experience

FLORENCE—Florence Bank recently earned all four of the top industry honors presented at the first annual Banking Choice Awards in areas such as quality and service, with recognition based on an independent survey of customer feedback.

Florence Bank took home four awards in the Western Massachusetts region at the event on April 26 at Boston’s Omni Parker House, ranking first in Overall Quality, Customer Service, and Technology, and second in Community Contribution.  

“These rankings came from an independent survey performed by a recognized leader in tracking and measuring the customer experience,” President and CEO John F. Heaps said. “It’s nice to get recognition from those we aim to serve well. I couldn’t be prouder of our employees and this achievement.”

Beverly Beaulieu, senior vice president / director of retail banking said, “It’s evident our customers truly appreciate our approach. That’s because our employees embody our mission that customer service drives everything we do.”

Florence Bank employees were among staff from 33 banks across the state at the Banking Choice Awards, developed jointly by The Warren Group and Customer Experience Solutions. The two groups collaborate with a goal to identify and celebrate financial institutions that regularly go above and beyond in serving their customers. 

The Warren Group, of Boston, is the publisher of Banker & Tradesman, The Commercial Record and Registry Review and the architect behind leading professional banking, finance and legal events and conferences in New England.

Customer Experience Solutions measures and tracks customer feedback, and administers a comprehensive, independent survey twice a year to more than 20,000 bank and credit union customers across the state of Massachusetts. The 2018 awards were based on the 10,040 responses it received, yielding 98,932 reviews and 1.5 million data points.

Florence Bank is consistently voted Best Local Bank by readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette and Valley Advocate, and over the past four years it’s been recognized for excellence in advertising at the New England Financial Marketing Awards.

In honor of the bank’s 145th anniversary on May 6, and to show appreciation to customers, bank leaders surveyed employees for 145 reasons why staff love bank customers. To view all 145 responses, visit https://www.florencebank.com/-145-reasons.

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutually-owned savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through nine full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown and Granby as well as through 27 ATMs and a new full-service Banking Center in West Springfield.  Florence Bank offers a wide range of financial services including investment management through FSB Financial Group (FSBFG) to consumers and businesses.  Florence Bank is consistently voted best local bank by the readers of the Valley Advocate and the Daily Hampshire Gazette.  John F. Heaps Jr. is the Bank’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Main headquarters are at 85 Main St. Florence, MA 01062. For additional information about the Bank or its services please visit www.florencebank.com or call 413.586.1300.

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$100,000 awarded on March 21 will support libraries, schools, police and fire departments, hospitals and hospices, and other organizations that benefit people of all ages, as well as animals and the environment.

FLORENCE—Florence Bank recently presented $100,000 in awards ranging from $500 to $5,000 to 57 area nonprofits through its 16th annual Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program during an event at the Garden House at Look Memorial Park. The funds will support libraries, schools, police, fire departments, hospitals and hospices, and other organizations that benefit people of all ages, as well as animals and the environment.

Noting that the bank reached the $1.05 million mark in terms of grants made over nearly two decades to 144 community nonprofits, President and CEO John Heaps Jr. offered a toast to roughly 150 volunteers and staff members from the organizations who gathered for the celebration on March 21.

“We started 16 years ago with an idea to ask our customers to vote for a worthy organization to receive funds,” Heaps said. “Here’s to the $1 million mark.”

Heaps noted that the bank is most grateful to the 57 organizations and the work they do to strengthen the community. “You make our communities special with your contributions every day. Here’s to you.”

He added that the Customers’ Choice event is, “One of my favorite nights of the year. We’re doing what we should be doing.”

The Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program is an annual offering founded in 2002, through which Florence Bank customers are invited to vote for their favorite local nonprofit in hopes it will receive a share of grant funding. In its early years, awards of $50,000, and later, $75,000, were offered each year by the bank; in more recent years, $100,000 has been disbursed each spring.

To qualify for a community grant, organizations must receive at least 50 votes; Marketing Director Monica Curhan said at the event that this year each vote is worth about $15 to the organizations.

She also said that, for the first time this year, eight organizations that received between 40 and 49 votes were invited to attend the event to vie for one bonus $500 award.

Leaders from three of the eight were present—Easthampton Dollars for Scholars, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School PTO and the Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley Inc.

As Heaps was poised to pull from a raffle that would determine the winner of the $500, he surprised everyone saying, “You are all worthy of a $500 grant. The bank will make awards to each of your organizations.”

He noted that Florence Bank is a mutual bank, and, as such, does not need to pay quarterly dividends to stockholders. “We can do the things we want to do. We can keep our focus on our customers and our community” he said, noting the bank’s assets stand at $1.3 billion.

As nonprofit staff and leaders sipped champagne, had their photographs taken with oversized checks bearing the amounts of their awards and mingled with colleagues and community members, they also celebrated the bank’s assistance.

“We get letters every day from people thanking us for the care we provide,” said Priscilla Ross, executive director of the Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice. “It’s felt like we’ve been getting more and more letters. This backs it up.”

This year marked the first year that bank customers chose the VNA to receive an award, in the amount of $1,287. Ross said, “What Florence Bank does for our community is so unique and valuable.”

In 2017, before the Dec. 31 deadline, 10,111 votes were cast through Customers’ Choice. The following are the organizations, the amounts received, and, when available, the projects that will be undertaken with the funds: Dakin Humane Society, $5,000, to support the organization’s Pet Food Pantry; Friends of Forbes Library, $4,820, book and media purchases, programming for adults, teens and children, new technology and staff development; Friends of Williamsburg Regional Library, $4,100, children’s programming and materials; The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, $3,990, to fulfill its mission; Cancer Connection, $3,785, peer support; Northampton Survival Center, $3,565, non-meat protein items; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County, $3,548, training for new mentors; Amherst Survival Center, $3,046, to support the center’s community meals program; Pelham Elementary School PTO, $2,952, school supplies, cultural events and anti-bullying training; Friends of Lilly Library, $2,700, library programs for children and young adults; Easthampton Elementary Schools PTO, $2,418; Jackson Street School PTO, $2,402; New Hingham Regional Elementary School PTO, $2,230, after-school enrichment programs and to offset the cost of field trips; BARC, Inc., $2,198, to pay vet bills related to illness for those who adopt a cat with feline leukemia; Northampton Senior Center, $2,200, transportation programs; Northampton High School PTO, $2,072; Emily Williston Memorial Library, $1,915, new programming for young readers; Hospice of the Fisher Home, $1,775, to off-set the cost of care for those patients who cannot afford it; R.K. Finn Ryan Road School, $1,743, books with an anti-bias theme; Safe Passage, $1,743, legal advice and representation for survivors of domestic violence; Friends of Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School, $1,727, general operations and grants for teachers and staff; Belchertown Day School, $1,507, literacy and dramatic play; The Edward Hopkins Educational Foundation, $1,445, programming in the Hadley public schools; The Friends of Clapp Library, $1,430, children’s programming; Amherst Regional Public Schools Parent Guardian Organization, $1,413, field trips, supplies, social school events and mini-grants;  Kestrel Land Trust, $1,413, outdoor leadership program in Holyoke for high school students; Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, $1,413, art and music programs; Grow Food Northampton, $1,335, affordable access to healthy, local food for low-income families; Williamsburg Firefighters Association, $1,335, a meter that detects multiple gases; Friends of the Amherst Senior Center, $1,320, senior health services; Tapestry Health Systems, Inc., $1,320, sexual reproductive health, overdose prevention, HIV/AIDS support services and family nutrition; Friends of M.N. Spear Memorial Library, $1,303, to bolster the fund to build a new library; Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice, $1,287, creative services that support end-of-life care; Leeds Elementary School PTO, $1,225; Hampshire Regional High School, $1,193, student leadership training; Easthampton Community Center, $1,180, summer programming for children; The Hartsbrook School, $1,162, tuition financial aid for qualifying families; Northampton Community Music Center, $1,162, student scholarships; Easthampton Band Boosters, $1,115, instrument storage lockers at Easthampton High School; Northampton Community Rowing, $1,100, outreach efforts for adults and youths; Hitchcock Center for the Environment, $1,021, to support the camp scholarship fund; ServiceNet Inc., $990, to assist clients as they transition from a shelter to a home of their own; The Belchertown Police K-9 Unit, $928, dog food, veterinary care, training and certification costs; Hilltown Community Health Centers, $928, health programs; Whole Children, $928, the Friendship Band; Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, $911, training and membership fees; Bridge Street School PTO, $895, after school programming; Cooley Dickinson Hospital, $880, to support opioid and addiction education; John F. Kennedy Middle School PTO, $880, grants for teachers; Mass Audubon Connecticut River Sanctuaries, $880, Arcadia’s climate change education programs in the Pioneer Valley; Our Lady of the Hills Parish, $865, tables and chairs in the parish hall; CISA, $850, workshops and technical assistance; Belchertown Firefighters Association, $801, equipment for the Belchertown Fire Department; MANNA Soup Kitchen, Inc., $801, to support the mission; Center for Women & Community at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, $785, transportation, emergency medical care, forensic exams, and legal aid for survivors of sexual assault; Center for New Americans, $785, career advice; and Granby Senior Center, $785, the center’s Veteran’s Appreciation breakfast.

The five organizations that received just under 50 votes and were unable to attend were: Riverside Industries, Westfield Homeless Cat Project, Belchertown Public Schools, Franklin Land Trust and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Office of Pastoral Concerns.

The Customers’ Choice Community Grants program is a year-long initiative. Customers’ of the bank can vote via paper ballots until Dec. 31 at each bank branch location or online at https://www.florencebank.com/vote.

Nonprofits are encouraged to create campaigns to motivate their constituents, those who are Florence Bank customers, to vote. To request materials to help with a campaign, email marketing@florencebank.com and request a Customers’ Choice kit.

Florence Bank has branches in Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, Granby, Hadley, Northampton, Williamsburg and West Springfield, and it is headquartered in Florence.

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Three awards recognized Scanlon’s work for Glenmeadow, a retirement community in Longmeadow; one award for the Northampton Survival Center; and one for The Creative of Northampton.

Scanlon said, “I am pleased that four of my five awards went to my work with nonprofit organizations. It generates visibility for their important work.”

Scanlon shares the honors with other creative partners in these projects, including art director Lilly Pereira of Murre Creative; videographer Dave Sweeney of viz-bang! of Agawam; Jill Connolly, a voice talent/producer of Shelburne Falls; web developer Amber Ladley of South Hadley; Hadley Printing of Holyoke; Paul Shoul Photography of Northampton; and marketing strategist Ruth Griggs and writer/editor Janice Beetle of The Creative of Northampton.

Murre Creative provides communications design for businesses and organizations throughout the region. For more information on Murre Creative, contact Scanlon at info@murrecreative.com.

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