Believe in Local
WAGAP receives a $25K donation from First Interstate Bank’s Believe in Local campaign
Funds dedicated toward Mobile Food Bank
Bingen, WA (August 11, 2022) – Washington Gorge Action Programs received a surprise $25,000 donation from First Interstate Bank on August 9, and bank officials received an impromptu tour of operations. The funds are part of the bank’s Believe in Local campaign and will support a new Mobile Food Bank set to launch in September. This new service will help less populated areas.
“We are incredibly thankful and honored that FIB chose WAGAP as the recipient of their community grant,” said Leslie Naramore, WAGAP’s executive director. “They have been a wonderful local partner to us.”
First Interstate Bank launched the Believe in Local grant campaign to celebrate the Bank’s longstanding commitment to the communities it serves. Forty nonprofit organizations across the Bank’s recently expanded 14-state footprint will receive a $25,000 donation to support their work.
WAGAP was nominated by local First Interstate employee Maria Pike and selected from a pool of over 400 nominees thanks to its alignment with the Bank’s philanthropic goals. The Bingen FIB employees have been volunteering at the Food Bank since January. Pike said she realized, “They do a lot more in the community. It’s not just one thing.” WAGAP addresses basic human needs, including food, shelter, energy assistance, support for youth, and more.
“Giving back to the places we call home is central to who we are as a community bank,” said Karalee Holtmann, FIB’s Bingen Retail Manager. “Our Believe in Local grant campaign captures our core values in action and is the ideal way to celebrate the nonprofit organizations that deliver the greatest positive impact. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to further support WAGAP's work to better Klickitat and Skamania counties.”
In addition to campaigns like Believe in Local, First Interstate makes an annual donation of 2% of its pre-tax earnings to local communities. These funds aid in the improvement of workforce development to boost early childhood education, mitigate poverty, and support nonprofit organizations like WAGAP.
Learn more about WAGAP at https://www.wagap.org/ and FIB’s philanthropic efforts at https://www.firstinterstatebank.com/company/commitment/community_scorecard.php.
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Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Community Action Agency that helps individuals, families, and communities. WAGAP addresses basic human needs, including food, shelter, energy assistance, and more, in Skamania and Klickitat Counties. For more than 50 years, WAGAP has helped people help themselves and reach self-sufficiency. Learn more at wagap.org, or contact WAGAP at (509) 493-2662 or info@wagap.org.
ABOUT FIRST INTERSTATE BANK
First Interstate is a community bank headquartered in Billings, Montana, delivering best-in-class banking and Wealth Management services across Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. With more than 300 offices, First Interstate enhances the communities it serves through an innovative corporate philanthropy program, which includes donating a portion of Company profits, matching employees’ personal financial contributions, and donating $10 per hour for volunteer efforts made at qualifying organizations. To learn more, please visit www.firstinterstate.com.