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Florence Bank Customer Choice Awards 2025
Stone Soup Café wins a Florence Bank Customers’ Choice Community Grant!
Over 100 nonprofit leaders representing 40 organizations across the Pioneer Valley came together recently at Florence Bank’s annual Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program reception to network and accept a total of $150,000 in awards.
The annual event took place at the Garden House in Look Park in Florence. Recipients praised Florence Bank not only for its generosity but also for providing a space to celebrate area nonprofits and their dedication to the community.
Voting takes place all year long, online at florencebank.com/vote and in bank branches, and each customer has only one vote. To qualify for a community grant, organizations must receive at least 50 votes. In 2024, over 7,500 votes were cast, making 40 nonprofits eligible for a grant.
One of the newest recipients was Stone Soup Café in Greenfield, which received $2,257. The nonprofit provides a pay-what-you-can, gluten-free, from-scratch meal and entertainment on Hope Street every Saturday between noon and 1:30 p.m. to roughly 200 people from all walks of life. The nonprofit also delivers meals to an additional 120 families.
“The opportunity Florence Bank offers for customers to vote on nonprofits that are important to them is awesome,” says Jansyn Thaw, director of fundraising and marketing at Stone Soup. “We were able to invite our community to show their support for us, and the bank was willing to listen to that input. They’re receptive, which I really appreciate.”
Stone Soup’s mission is to create community space to share nourishment, connection and learning for body, mind and spirit. It was founded in 2011 and has been a 501 (C) nonprofit since 2021.
Each Saturday, the nonprofit offers restaurant-quality meals with a suggested cost of $15 per, and participants are invited to pay what they are able. The Florence Bank grant will help defray the cost of the food. Jansyn says many people who are unable to pay choose to volunteer to help prepare meals to “pay it back.” There are 15 volunteer drivers each week and about 50 who prep food, cook and serve.“ A lot of connecting and socializing happens on the sidewalk as people wait and shop in our community store,” she says. “We put up art. We have music playing. It’s like a mini street festival. We provide access to healthy food and give people a sense of community.”
Visit florencebank.com/cc-2025 to view the complete list of grant recipients.
>> Read the whole press release.
Stone Soup Café is seeking support and votes from the community in the 2025 Florence Bank Customers’ Choice Community Grants program.
Florence Bank will award a total of $150,000 to nonprofits throughout the region, based on votes from their Bank customers, and Stone Soup Café would like to be among the winners!
If you are a customer of Florence Bank, or you have family or friends who are, you can help. Please ask everyone you know to vote for us.
Voting by customers of Florence Bank is done by visiting the Bank’s website, www.florencebank.com/vote, or by voting at any of the Branches. Voting is now in progress and continues through December 31st.
Posted: to Community Newsletter on Mon, May 19, 2025
Updated: Mon, May 19, 2025
