Holyoke’s PeoplesBank has contributed more than $1 million to local charitable and civic causes in 2011- a mission completed during the same year that Western Massachusetts towns needed more help than ever.

"We are focused on the possible," said Douglas A. Bowen, president and CEO. "We feel it is possible to create a better community through our charitable giving and volunteer efforts. It is something that we are very passionate about and it is this passion that makes us who we are."

In a year marked by the widespread devastation caused by the June tornado, the bulk of the bank’s charitable giving went toward human services. PeoplesBank, called a "First Responder" by one local nonprofit executive, committed $200,000 for tornado relief efforts in the aftermath of the storm. Keeping to its track record of supporting environmentally friendly initiatives, $80,000 of that commitment was spent on re-greening five of the impacted communities, including $40,000 for Springfield alone to help them return to their former status of "Tree City USA."

The bank also made substantial contributions to education, including a greenhouse for students of the Leverett Elementary School.

"We had been looking around for different ways to try and raise enough money to build a greenhouse, which is a fairly large expenditure," said Suzie Chang, a volunteer and parent at the school. "So we were especially excited and thrilled that PeoplesBank decided to make a leadership gift of this size, because it enabled us to just go ahead and do the entire project. For me as a mom, it’s wonderful to know that my kids have this incredible opportunity and this gorgeous, gorgeous space."