Pittsfield, MA, November 13, 2014 – Berkshire Bank, America’s Most Exciting Bank®, and its Foundation announced today their pledge to donate up to $25,000 to local food banks through December 31, 2014—donating $1 for every Berkshire account that converts to eStatements.  The campaign prompts the Bank’s customers to move their accounts from paper statements to electronic statements—called eStatements—in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint through reducing paper usage.

“Our goal is to save our customers time and money through reduction while helping the communities throughout our footprint,” stated Tami Gunsch, Senior Vice President, Retail Banking. “eStatements are more secure, can be conveniently accessed from a computer and eliminate paper trash and recycling.  We are pleased to partner with the Berkshire Bank Foundation by donating to area food banks and hope our customers will help us achieve our goal this holiday season.”

A secure and convenient way to stay organized while helping the environment

Similar to paper statements, Berkshire Bank eStatements are delivered regularly to each customer.  An email message alerts the customer when their statement is available online.  Not only does this cut down on paper usage, it is a secure way to manage finances without the worry of disposing traditional statements through recycling and shredding. 

The selected food banks that will be receiving funding in Massachusetts are: the Food Bank of Greater Boston; the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts; and Worcester County Food Bank.  The food banks to receive funding in New York are: Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY; and Food Bank of Central New York.  The food bank to receive funding in Connecticut is: FoodShare. The food bank to receive funding in Vermont is: Vermont Food Bank.  The donations from the Berkshire Bank Foundation are based on the number of accounts converted to eStatements from November 1 to December 31, 2014. One $1 donation will be made per account.  The funds raised through this initiative will be distributed evenly among the selected food banks.