The MVSB Center Harbor team stand in front of their collection of mitten tree items in December. From left, Debra Sturgeon, Branch & Business Development Manager, Kate Worden, Teller Supervisor, Max Cohen, Universal Banker, and Pam Richard, Universal Banker.
With the support and generosity of local community members, MVSB collected 1,933 mittens, hats, gloves and scarves during their annual Mitten Tree drive. The Bank has matched the contribution with $2 per item – a total of $3,866 that will be split between 11 local nonprofits addressing childhood food insufficiency.
MVSB’s tradition of gathering cold-weather items each winter began over four decades ago in 1979. Each year, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, the Bank collects donations that are displayed on “Mitten Trees” at every MVSB branch office. At the end of the drive, the items are distributed by the branches to local schools, daycares and other organizations that support families in need in their local communities.
The recipients for this year’s matching donation included End 68 Hours of Hunger programs serving Alton, Exeter, North Conway, Portsmouth, Rochester and Wolfeboro, along with local Got Lunch! programs serving Gilford, Ashland & Holderness, Inter-Lakes, Laconia and Plymouth.