Nineteen local nonprofits are the recent recipients of BankGloucester’s annual Banking for the Community Awards.
Now in its 18th year, Banking for the Community allows community members to cast votes online and in the bank’s branches for their favorite organizations, with those receiving the most votes earning the largest shares of $30,000 of bank’s charitable giving.
“What makes Banking for the Community so special is that it’s powered by our neighbors,” Patrick Thorpe, president & CEO of BankGloucester, said in a prepared statement. “This program gives our community a voice in how we give back and reminds us what’s possible when we come together to support the people and organizations that make Cape Ann stronger.”
Award winners for 2025 are:
$5,000: Cape Ann Animal Aid.
$4,000: The Open Door.
$3,000: Generous Gardeners.
$2,000 each: Ipswich Humane Group and Cape Ann Veterans Services.
$1,000 each went to 14 additional organizations: Backyard Growers, Better Together for Cape Ann Inc., Essex Shipbuilding Museum, Friends of Manchester Council on Aging, Gloucester Education Foundation, Ipswich Aware, Ipswich Education Foundation, Manship Artists Residency, Maritime Gloucester, NAMI Cape Ann — Support for Mental Health, Pathways for Children, Rose Baker Senior Center, SeniorCare, Inc., and Wellspring House.
The awards were presented at a reception Oct. 9 at BankGloucester’s headquarters at 160 Main St. The event brought together nonprofit leaders, community members, bank staff, and local officials, among them Mayor Greg Verga, state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, and Nina Goodick, district liaison for state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante.
Since its launch in 2008, Banking for the Community has directed more than $380,000 to area nonprofits, BankGloucester said, part of its commitment to give back and invest in the well-being of the region it serves.
BankGloucester, a state-chartered mutual bank, has been serving Cape Ann and the North Shore since 1887. Besides its Main Street headquarters, the bank also operates branches at 15 Martin St. in Essex and 143 High St. in Ipswich. The bank is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) and a member of the Depositors of Insurance Fund. At BankGloucester, all deposits are insured in full.