ICBA Names First Federal Savings & Loan as a 2023 National Community Bank Service Award Recipient
Pascagoula, Miss. (Oct. 2023)—First Federal Savings & Loan Association is the Exceptional Community Bank Service Award winner for the Independent Community Bankers of America’s National Community Bank Service Awards.
The program recognizes the outstanding acts of service and creative volunteer efforts of the nation’s community banks. Stories about the winners are featured in the September issue of ICBA Independent Banker.
The $350 million-asset bank earned recognition for its efforts to help members of its community in the immediate aftermath of a tornado that caused catastrophic damage, taking the lives of 17 citizens and injuring 165 others. After learning of the storm’s devastation, which severely damaged or destroyed 15 homes of neighboring Bank of Anguilla employees, First Federal hosted a fundraiser—serving up culinary skills to raise needed funds for those affected by the tornado.
The food drive helped create a “sense of community” that would allow employees to “get involved and participate,” explains President and CEO Alan Renfroe. Such food drives typically result in 150 food orders, a number that ballooned by more than 300 percent in the days following the storm and allowed the bank to present an $11,000 check to help impacted families, he explains.
“ICBA celebrates First Federal Savings and its employees for their unwavering support in the face of widespread devastation,” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. “These efforts are to be commended and provide a poignant reminder of the important role community banks serve in their communities—helping to strengthen local economies and providing personalized support to those in need.”
Over 100 community banks have been recognized since ICBA launched the National Community Bank Service Awards program in 2002. Bank technology services provider FIS of Jacksonville, Fla., sponsored this year’s program.
