Independent Banker - September 2020 - 50

 National Community Bank
Service Awards
and of imaginative and heartfelt
projects designed to lift their
communities' spirits.
Here, we spotlight just a few of
the many stories of community
banks doing the work to get their
communities through tough times.
Putting safety first
As cases spread and schools and
businesses closed, community banks
rapidly pivoted to new models and
instituted measures to put the safety
of employees and customers first.
At $134 million-asset Canton
Co-operative Bank in Canton, Mass.,
" COVID-19 came on like a switch, "
says Mary Bocash, operations
manager. " One day, it was business
as usual, but then came the closure
of the lobby to prevent the virus
from spreading. " The community
bank's upper management team
immediately installed protective
Plexiglas on each employee's desk
and at each teller's window. They also
ordered a generous supply of masks,
gloves, sanitizers and antivirus wipes
for every station and in all public
areas of the bank. " Our frontline
COVID-19 came on
like a switch. One
day, it was business
as usual, but then
came the closure of
the lobby to prevent
the virus from
spreading. "
-Mary Bocash,
Canton Co-operative Bank
$0
The cost of digital lessons
for remote learning for
families including financial
education, mental wellness,
compassion, digital wellness
and prescription drug safety,
provided by $10 billion-asset
Provident Bank in Jersey
City, N.J., through education
technology company EverFi
employees were split into two teams
working two different shifts to enforce
social distancing and also protect the
bank, " Bocash adds. " If ever there was
a case of the virus, fewer people would
be affected. "
Central Valley Community Bank
in Fresno, Calif., found out it was
better prepared than it thought. In
the basement of one of its banking
centers, staff discovered an old
pandemic preparedness box that
contained 1,500 N95 face masks
and gloves in perfect shape. The
$1.9 billion-asset community bank
immediately donated them to a
local hospital.
As far back as February, $2 billionasset
Maspeth Federal Savings in
Maspeth, N.Y., worked with its local
assembly member to secure more
than 11,000 masks, the bulk of
which it gave to two large hospitals
in Queens, one of the hardest-hit
areas of the country. In the same vein,
$1.5 billion-asset Somerset Trust
Company in Somerset, Pa., used three
3D printers it already had to make
To help keep its customers and employees
safe, Citizens Bank of Edmond used a branch
driveway to do curbside banking. Above,
employee Jadisyn Tudman helps a customer
so they don't have to leave their car.
hundreds of protective face shields for
local medical workers, nursing homes,
dentist offices and convenience stores.
Many community banks switched
to a safer and quicker drive-thru
model, some with great creativity.
Citizens Bank of Edmond in Edmond,
Okla., described how it " Chick-filA-ed "
its branch driveway. Staff
rigged up toolbelts to carry deposit
slips and sanitized pens, then greeted
40 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q September 2020
Photos: John Vu
Independent Banker - September 2020

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