Leading local bank announces the winners of new initiative to support small businesses, community organizations during uncertain times
PERKASIE, Pa. (November 2020) – Penn Community Bank, the largest mutual bank headquartered in eastern Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce the winners of its grant program aimed at supporting local businesses and nonprofits. The Growth in Action Small Business Grant program will provide each of the winners access to $5,000 in funds to help grow their business or community during these uncertain times.
Grant program winners include:
Busy Bee Toys is a woman-owned family business that has served the Doylestown community for more than 14 years. The grant money will go towards developing a new ecommerce platform to expand and enhance the ways customers can shop during the pandemic.
Central Bucks Children’s Academy is a family business offering preschool and kindergarten in Warrington. The grant money will help sustain business operations and support new hires, and it will help the academy continue to provide a safe, healthy environment for its young students.
Circle Speech Services is a full-service speech, occupational, and feeding therapy practice in Jamison. The grant money will be used to expand their occupational therapy services space.
justCommunity is an Upper Bucks County nonprofit that will use the grant money for civic engagement and restorative justice programs for the Pennridge community.
Lead Smart Coaching, a leadership consultancy located in New Hope, will use the grant money to create a virtual retreat and renewal series, “Sanctuary Space.” These online events will feature opportunities for professional women to connect with others, learn self-care practices, and develop professional communication skills.
Painting with a Twist, in Jenkintown, will use the grant money to keep its artists employed and support sustaining the business long-term.
Perkasie Towne Improvement Association is a nonprofit dedicated to the enhancement of Perkasie’s diverse business community. It will use the grant money to develop and implement an overall strategic marketing plan to benefit all Perkasie businesses, and it will allow the organization to expand the role of its executive director and graphic designer.
Piccolo Trattoria is a restaurant that has been in the Doylestown community for five years. The restaurant has been affected by the dramatic change in sales due to the pandemic. It has made changes in order to support day-to-day operations, and the grant money will help sustain the changes throughout the pandemic.
The Tea Can Company sells high quality blended teas packaged and branded with personalized graphics for multiple industries. The Pipersville-based business will use the grant money to continue its no-lay-off policy and continue renting its Bucks County warehouse space.
Welcome Project PA is a nonprofit based in Hatboro that offers a diverse, safe place for marginalized and vulnerable populations and seeks to bring about positive social change to improve the quality of life for these individuals and families in Greater Philadelphia. The grant will allow the organization to continue offering vital services online for marginalized people in their communities.
YWCA Bucks County is a nonprofit organization serving women, girls and families in Bucks County. The grant money will be used to implement a case management system that will better equip the YWCA to assist clients through individual service plans, financial budgeting, housing stability plans, and communication.
In addition to the financial benefit of the grant, recipients will have access to free consultations from the bank’s team of subject matter experts, from investments to human resources to marketing, to ensure they can continue to grow. Penn Community Bank also will help highlight the importance of businesses and nonprofits throughout the region.
“We are honored to help these businesses with the Growth in Action Small Business Grant program,” said Jeane M. Vidoni, president and CEO of Penn Community Bank. “We believe in real partnership and rising to challenges in real time the way only a community bank can. We want current and potential customers alike to know that when we’re in your neighborhood, so is greater good banking.”
Penn Community Bank has helped lead the community’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak in various ways, including:
- Partnering with the United Way of Bucks County to launch the Bucks County COVID-19 Recovery Fund.
- Working with the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership to establish the Penn Community Bank Healthcare Operational Priority Emergency (HOPE) Fund to cover the cost of care for some of the community’s most vulnerable residents.
- Donating 1,400 N95 masks to the Bucks County Emergency Services Center.
- Providing an extra week’s pay for bank team members during the pandemic through PennCares Pay, and more.
About Penn Community Bank: Penn Community Bank holds more than $2 billion in assets, employs more than 350 people, and offers banking, lending and investments at 24 bank branches and two administrative centers throughout Bucks and Montgomery counties, Pennsylvania. As an independent, mutual financial institution, Penn Community Bank is not publicly traded and operates with its long-term mission in mind: to help businesses grow and prosper, to provide financial resources to individuals and families throughout their lifetimes, to strengthen the local economy, and to partner with local organizations to act as a catalyst for positive growth in every market it serves.
