Essex Savings Bank Announces 2020 Community Investment Program and Annual Balloting Results

March 31, 2020 – Essex, Connecticut – Essex Savings Bank is pleased to announce that, through its Community Investment Program (CIP), the Bank will be giving out $369,267 to support local non-profits and civic groups in 2020. The added monies available were in direct response to the successes of 2019, the Bank’s most profitable year on record. Gregory R. Shook, President & CEO stated, “It gives me great pleasure in light of the pandemic we are all now facing, to be able to provide needed funding to support these vital organizations in our community.”

The Bank’s CIP provides funding through numerous channels; customers allocate 30% of funds by voting for three of their favorite participating causes, charities or organizations on an annual ballot. The remaining 70% of funding is distributed by the Bank’s Directors, Senior Officers, Branch Managers and the Bank’s wholly owned subsidiary Essex Financial Services, Inc. Through its CIP, the Bank has donated nearly $5 million dollars to over 200 local nonprofit organizations. In addition to these donations, many of the Bank’s employees offer their time and expertise to nonprofit organizations in both official board and volunteer capacities.
Essex Savings Bank is delighted to also share the results of its annual customer ballot initiative to which 72 organizations participated this past February. The Shoreline Soup Kitchen & Food Pantries, which has received the greatest number of votes every year they have participated, was again awarded the largest number of votes translating into the largest monetary award, nearly $10,000. The remaining 71 organizations, whose missions range from servicing low income individuals, to youth and senior services and from emergency services to animal welfare and the arts received a combined total of $101,106.

Essex Savings Bank is a FDIC insured, state chartered, mutual savings bank established in 1851. The Bank serves the Connecticut River Valley and shoreline with six offices in Essex (2), Chester, Madison, Old Lyme and Old Saybrook providing a full complement of personal and business banking. Financial, estate, insurance and retirement planning are offered throughout the state by the Bank’s Trust Department and wholly-owned subsidiary, Essex Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC.

RESULTS OF ESSEX SAVINGS BANK CUSTOMER BALLOTING COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PROGRAM 2020

OrganizationTotal2020 Amount
The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries, Inc. 589 $9,678 
Forgotten Felines, Inc. 322 $5,291 
Valley Shore Animal Welfare League 298 $4,897 
Estuary Council of Seniors, Inc. - Meals on Wheels 242 $3,976 
High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc. 221 $3,631 
Bikes for Kids, Inc. 209 $3,434 
Pet Connections, Inc. 181 $2,974 
Tait’s Every Animal Matters (TEAM) 178 $2,925 
A Little Compassion Inc. / The Nest Coffee House 162 $2,662 
Camp Hazen YMCA 162 $2,662 
Essex Fire Engine Company No. 1 157 $2,580 
Lyme Ambulance Association, Inc. 133 $2,185 
Deep River Fire Department, Inc. 132 $2,169 
Valley Shore YMCA 129 $2,120 
Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley, Inc. (VNLV) 129 $2,120 
The Chester Hose Company Incorporated 127 $2,087 
Ivoryton Playhouse Foundation, Inc. 117 $1,922 
The Essex Library Association, Inc. 114 $1,873 
Old Lyme Fire Department, Inc. 113 $1,857 
Essex Ambulance Association, Inc. 112 $1,840 
Connecticut Cancer Foundation, Inc. 109 $1,791 
Ivoryton Library Association 104 $1,709 
Lyme Fire Company 103 $1,692 
Chester Historical Society 101 $1,660 
Madison Ambulance Association, Inc. 99 $1,627 
The Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Inc. 90 $1,479 
Pandemonium Rainforest Project, Inc. 85 $1,397 
Old Saybrook Land Trust, Inc. 84 $1,380 
Friends In Service Here (F.I.S.H.) 81 $1,331 
Lyme Land Conservation Trust, Inc. 80 $1,315 
Literacy Volunteers Valley Shore, CT, Inc. 70 $1,150 
SARAH, Inc. 70 $1,150 
Brian House of Chester 68 $1,117 
Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library Association 68 $1,117 
Old Lyme Visiting Nurse Association, Inc. 67 $1,101 
Friends of the Essex Library 64 $1,052 
Pettipaug Junior Sailing Academy, Inc. 64 $1,052 
Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau 63 $1,035 
Vista Life Innovations, Inc. 62 $1,019 
Old Lyme Land Trust, Inc. 59 $969 
Old Saybrook Historical Society 59 $969 
Westbrook Project Graduation, Inc. 57 $937 
Tri-Town Youth Services Bureau, Inc. 56 $920 
Common Good Gardens, Inc. 55 $904 
Lyme Public Hall & Local History Archives, Inc. 55 $904 
Region 4 Education Foundation 55 $904 
Chester Land Trust 53 $871 
Deep River Historical Society, Inc. 53 $871 
Westbrook Youth and Family Services, Inc. 53 $871 
Essex Historical Society, Inc. 51 $838 
Friends of the Chester Public Library, Inc. 51 $838 
Friends of the Deep River Public Library, Inc. 51 $838 
Community Music School 50 $822 
Lyme Art Association, Inc. 46 $756 
Deep River Elementary School PTO, Inc 43 $707 
Deep River Land Trust, Inc. 42 $690 
Essex Elementary School Foundation, Inc. 41 $674 
Cappella Cantorum, Inc. 39 $641 
Con Brio Choral Society, Inc. 37 $608 
Hope Partnership, Inc. 37 $608 
Sister Cities Essex Haiti, Inc. 37 $608 
Angel Charities, Inc. 34 $559 
Essex Community Fund, Inc. 34 $559 
The Woman’s Exchange of Old Lyme, Inc. 34 $559 
Act II Thrift Shop, Inc. 33 $542 
Essex Winter Series 32 $526 
Ivoryton Village Alliance 31 $509 
Lymes’ Elderly Housing, Inc. (Lymewood) 27 $444 
Ruth Ann Heller Music Foundation, Inc. 24 $394 
Brazilian and American Youth Cultural Exchange (BRAYCE) 23 $378 
MusicNow Foundation, Inc 17 $279 
Musical Masterworks, Inc. 14 $230