On June 5 and 6, employees at Grand Savings Bank in Grove, Okla., volunteered to serve meals to families and volunteers cleaning up after two tornadoes hit Decatur, Ark., on May 26.
After the tornadoes, leadership at the $911 million-asset community bank worked quickly with members of the community, particularly the Decatur First Baptist Church, to determine what was needed.
“We wanted to make sure that we were providing the best support for what the community needed,” said Maddye McConnell, marketing officer at Grand Savings Bank. “Then, once we got there, we ran with it, and it went really well.”
Over two days, employees from the community bank’s Siloam Springs, Gravette and Gentry branches gathered in Decatur. They fed more than 100 people a day and took donations for items like shampoo and batteries.
Meredith Renfroe, loan operations and vice president at Grand Savings Bank, was one of the drivers of the bank’s involvement. She says that donated goods filled Decatur First Baptist Church’s pews—proof of the town’s generous spirit in the wake of disaster.
“To be able to see people come together and care about other people was really overwhelming for me,” Renfroe said. “It kind of renews your faith in human beings.”
For Grand Savings Bank, it’s proof that their mission and commitment to serving their communities isn’t just for show.
“We always say the communities are the heartbeat of Grand Savings Bank,” McConnell said. “Having an event that shows that and shows ours support for the communities is really great.”
