Kevin C. Merchant, president of the Jewett City Savings Bank Foundation, announced today that the Foundation has awarded a total of $5,500 to area community service organizations and an additional $3,000 to support the arts and a local library.

The grants will be used to support a variety of initiatives benefiting the community.

Community services
The Susan Wayne Center of the Justice Resource Institute in Thompson will purchase kayaks and bicycles with its $1,000 Foundation grant, in order to expand the recreational activities available to the Center’s students. The Friends of Camp Quinebaug in Danielson will use its $500 award to replace a paddle boat that is used by the Camp’s special needs children during summer programs.

In Woodstock, the Foundation’s $1,000 grant to Northeast Opportunities for Wellness will support a parent education program by a licensed dietician, to educate parents on children’s nutritional needs and the importance of healthy diets.

United Community and Family Services $500 grant will help improve influenza and pneumonia immunization rates for patients seen at the Jewett City primary care center.

In addition, the Foundation awarded $500 to Hospice of Southeastern Connecticut in Norwich in response to their annual appeal campaign, and provided a $2,000 sponsorship for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Eastern Connecticut in Plainfield in June.

Arts and library services
The Foundation’s grant of $1,000 to the Eastern Connecticut Performing Arts Association will provide dance and theater classes and scholarships for students from the Griswold area.

Another $1,000 Foundation grant will help Performing Arts of Northeast Connecticut in Pomfret bring live theatrical performances to over 4,000 elementary and middle school students in the northeast corner of Connecticut.

In Jewett City, the Slater Library received a $1,000 grant from the Foundation in response to its annual fundraising campaign.

The Jewett City Savings Bank Foundation awarded more than $49,000 to area non-profit organizations in 2012, according to Merchant.

In the nine years since it was established, the Foundation has provided almost $400,000 in support of local organizations and initiatives in communities served by the Bank.

Grant recipients from area non-profit organizations met with Jewett City Savings Bank Foundation President Kevin C. Merchant, left, at a recent award breakfast in Griswold. They are (l to r): Terry Walsh, Friends of Camp Quinebaug; Michelle Wiik, United Community and Family Services; Keith O’Hara, Northeast Opportunities for Wellness, Inc.; Desiree Chumsantivut, Justice Resource Institute/Susan Wayne Center; and Raymond Churchill, Eastern Connecticut Performing Arts Association.

Kevin C. Merchant, president of the Jewett City Savings Bank Foundation, announced today that $10,700 was awarded to four area food pantries in the Foundation’s most recent round of funding.
The awards were presented at a reception held recently in Griswold.

“We are pleased to support our local food pantries,” said Merchant, “especially in today’s economy, when so many people are having a difficult time providing even the most basic of needs; having enough food for their families.”

Award recipients
A Foundation grant of $4,600 will help restock the shelves at the St. Mary Food Pantry in Jewett City, where an average of 100 families are served each month. In Danielson, the Friends of Assisi Food Pantry will use the Foundation’s $3,500 donation to help provide food, diapers and vouchers for produce at local farmers’ markets.

The Preston City Congregational Church food pantry will use its $2,100 Foundation grant to provide basic food items and vouchers for farm produce, and the Town of Pomfret’s $500 food pantry award will help restock shelves with non-perishable food items for those residents seeking assistance.

History of giving
The Bank and its Foundation have provided over $60,000 in funding to local food pantries in recent years. In November 2012, the Bank’s “Trade a Token” campaign in the community resulted in a $1,000 donation shared by food pantries in Jewett City, Brooklyn, Moosup, Preston, and Dayville.

The Jewett City Savings Bank Foundation awarded more than $49,000 to area non-profit organizations in 2012 alone, according to Merchant. In the nine years since its establishment, the Foundation has provided nearly $400,000 in support of local organizations and initiatives in the communities served by the bank.

Pictured from left to right: Kevin Merchant, President of Jewett City Savings Bank Foundation; Harriett Rosiene, Preston City Congregational Church Food Pantry; Stella Dawley, Preston City Congregational Church Food Pantry; Richard Lavoie, Preston City Congregational Church Food Pantry; Jean Cyr, Friends of Assisi Food Pantry, Inc.; Pauline Millette, Friends of Assisi Food Pantry, Inc., and Garry Brown, Town of Pomfret Food Pantry

By operation of federal law, beginning January 1, 2013, funds deposited in a noninterest-bearing transaction account (including an Interest on Lawyer Trust Account) no longer will receive unlimited deposit insurance coverage by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Beginning January 1, 2013, all of a depositor’s accounts at an insured depository institution, including all noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, will be insured by the FDIC up to the standard maximum deposit insurance amount ($250,000), for each deposit insurance ownership category.

For more information about FDIC insurance coverage of noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, visit http://www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits/unlimited/expiration.html.

Kevin C. Merchant, president and CEO of Jewett City Savings Bank, announced today that the Bank was giving a special $1,000 gift to be shared by five local food pantries.

The donation was in response to a special “trade a token” campaign, with the Bank committing to a $1 food pantry gift (up to $1,000 total) for each paper token returned. The free tokens were featured in special mailings, newspaper ads, and online. The Bank added an extra $1 for each new “Like” received on its Facebook page.

During the campaign, which started October 1^st and ended November 17^th, Bank customers and local residents brought 258 special tokens to the Bank’s five branches. The Bank also added 352 new fans to their Facebook Page.

“This was a great opportunity for everyone to get involved, and have fun doing it,” said Kevin C. Merchant, president and CEO.

Sharing in the Bank’s $1,000 donation were the Friends of Assisi Food Pantry in Brooklyn; Project PIN in Moosup; Community Kitchens in Dayville; St. Mary Food Pantry in Jewett City; and Preston City Congregational Church Food Pantry in Preston. According to Tim Kettle of Project PIN each $1 donation can purchase $7 in food for the food bank.

The Bank and its Foundation have provided nearly $50,000 in funding to local food pantries in recent years.

During November and December we’ll automatically enroll you into a contest to win $5,000 each time you pay a bill using our FREE online bill pay service!

Just log on to your online account, or sign up for an online account today to get started.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. For complete rules and additional important information, visit https://secure.orcc.com/promo/Q42012/rules or ask for additional details.

Kevin C. Merchant, president and CEO of Jewett City Savings Bank, announced today that Melissa Waite has been promoted to assistant vice president and regional branch manager.

In this newly created position, Waite will oversee the Bank’s Dayville and Brooklyn offices.

Waite has been manager of the Dayville branch since July 2011. She joined the Bank in 2004 as a part-time teller in the Central Village office before moving to the Main Office in Jewett City as a customer service representative. She was promoted to assistant branch manager of the Main Office in 2009.

A Norwich resident, Waite has earned numerous financial services certificates from the Center for Financial Training, and was ranked first in her residential mortgage lending class.

She is a member of the Northeastern CT Chamber of Commerce, and serves as the bank’s team captain for the American Cancer Society’s Eastern CT Relay For Life.

Bank encourages community involvement

Jewett City Savings Bank is making it easy for local residents to give back to their communities.

The Bank will donate $1 (up to $1,000 total) to a local food pantry for each special token returned to one of its branches in Brooklyn, Central Village, Dayville, Jewett City, or Preston by November 17, 2012.

“Jewett City Savings Bank has a long history of giving back to the community,” said Kevin C. Merchant, president and CEO. “This promotion is a great way for everyone in the communities we serve to join in and get involved, and have fun doing it.”

Get your tokens
Appearing in “coupon” form, the $1 tokens are featured in local newspapers and special mailings, and online versions are available at jcsbank.com and facebook.com/jcsbank that can be printed and presented at a local branch.

The food pantries that will be supported by the Jewett City Savings Bank “giving back” token campaign are Friends of Assisi Food Pantry in Brooklyn; Project PIN in Central Village; Community Kitchens in Dayville; St. Mary Food Pantry in Jewett City; and Preston City Congregational Church Food Pantry in Preston.

The Bank has been a long-time supporter of local food pantries through charitable donations and food drives in its branches, as well as through grants awarded by the Jewett City Savings Bank Foundation. The Foundation has provided nearly $50,000 in funding to the local food pantries in recent years.

We have received reports that local residents are receiving telephone calls and text messages claiming to be from Jewett City Savings Bank.  These telephone calls are not being made and the text messages are not being sent by the bank or any third-party representing the bank.  If you receive a call or text message, do not disclose any personal or account information, do not respond to the text message, call any telephone number provided, or click on any website link provided.

Criminals use telephone scams (pretexting), text messages (SMiShing), and email messages (phishing) to attempt to get consumers to divulge account numbers, debit and credit card numbers, and other personal confidential information.  Never respond to the messages or use the telephone numbers or website links provided.  When there is a question about your account information, you should always contact the bank at a telephone number or website that you know to be legitimate (from a statement or receipt).

If you received a call or text message and provided your debit card number or other identifying account information, IMMEDIATELY call a branch office near you for assistance during business hours.  After business hours, notify our HOT CARD Lost & Stolen Service at 1-800-264-5578.

You can learn more about pretexting and phishing from the Federal Trade Commission.  If you received a telephone call or text message, you can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTCcomplaintassistant.gov.

We are currently blocking signature-based and Internet debit card transactions in Great Britain due to an increase in fraudulent activity.  You will be able to process PIN-based transactions with your debit card in Great Britain.

We also block all debit card transactions in France, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cuba, Libya, Nigeria, North Korea, and Romania.

In California and Illinois, we are currently blocking signature-based debit card transactions.

During August and September we’ll automatically enroll you into a contest to win $5,000 each time you pay a bill using our FREE online bill pay service!

Just log on to your online account, or sign up for an online account today to get started.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. For complete rules and additional important information, visit https://secure.orcc.com/promo/Q32012/rules or ask for additional details.