Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome. Media's time now for our community connection right here on Kay one, the one you trust. And today we've got a very special guest in here. Today we have Whitney Doolan and she's the executive vice president of our Best Bank. And Whitney, first of all, welcome, thank you so much. I'm glad to be here. I'm glad you're here too, because you're going
to talk about something that our Best Bank does pretty darn well. Now, you take care of great customers like you, truly, very very well, but we also take care of our friends in need too, and with this one million meals, that is something that has really been a big benchmark here in our community for a good number of years. Yes, tom So, this is our fourteenth annual one million Mails cam Hay fourteenth, Yes sir, and we're so happy to do it every year, citing time for us.
We feel like this is a really valuable community project that we do every year to raise funds for folks who have food insecurities. And here in Oklahoma where the sixth ranth state that has the most food insecurities, and so we feel like it's a very valuable cause for us, and so to be able to help those folks in need, we just really value that. So we're excited
to get started. It starts April the first and it runs through May the thirty first, and so lots of things that our community can do and our customers can do. Folks out there who want to get involved, we would love for them to participate in some of the events that we have going on. Who is our food partner this year. Yeah, so here in Bartlesville it is Mary Martha Outreach. We've been working with them for several years now.
They do great work, excellent work in this community. Their goal is to get really healthy foods to folks in need, not necessarily all process foods to folks, because sometimes that's only what people can afford. And so they do great work. And we work with Missy wish All, the director there. And then in no Wada County we work with a food pantry called Loaves and Fishes over there who are also doing excellent work to help folks in no
Wata. That is absolutely wonderful. Now, how do we help provide one million meals? How do we just Joe and marry a citizen how do we do that? Absolutely? So for every dollar we raise, that is five
meals that we can provide a family. Oh wow. And so whether you are going to make a donation through check or through cash or even you can go to the Harvest app huh and download transfer money from your from your Harvest account directly to those that just want to let everyone know that all the funds that we raise here in Bartlesville or in no Wada stay directly in this community.
And so that one hundred percent of the fund. So there's multiple ways you can you can donate, and we'd love for you to take advantage of one of those. I have that app and that's about the dandiest thing ever. I'm not all that technically inclined, but I can work that thing, yes, and it's like today magic. And to know that I can make my donation through that app, yep. Really it's good. Not that I don't mind going in and saying hey, JD and everybody else there you know,
at the East branch and say in body and whatever. I'll probably do that too and throw a few dollars in as well, you know, just because yes, you know, so this is a this is a good thing, and you know it, like you said, one dollar provides for how many meals? Five meals for a family? Absolutely, and so over the fourteen years that we've been doing this across our four state footprint, we raised
over twenty two million meals for families and needs. So it's an awesome opportunity for us to get involved, but we know that the work is really going to folks who really need it, so really really happy to support the commune any way, this is great. You know, our invest has been always such a good partner here in our neighborhood and your footprint here and Dewey and
Bartleville also know what accounting and everything. You know, it just seems like, you know, it's just one more good thing that people have come to expect. Yeah, and it's a lot of fun. We're doing some things in our branches. This week, we're doing a bake sale, so if you have a sweet tooth and you want to come by and grab some cookies or a cake or something fun, you're more than welcome to do that for a small donation. We also next week we're trying to make sure there's something
for everyone. Next week is our Cutest Pet Contest. So we'll have an opportunity for our folks to vote on the cutest pet that they think is worth their dollar or two. And then the twenty second through the twenty six we're going to have a silent auction over at our East Side location. So lots of things that you can get involved with, and they're fun and associates do
a great job putting on those activities. You know, nothing so fun like going to the bank when they got popcorn popping and coffee Perkin, and you know, it's just one of those little extras. I know that I go to the bank to take care of my financial things and what have you, but it's just nice to know that you can smell that popcorn and popping and smell that coffee perkin and everything else. You just know that that says home
there absolutely. You know, we've been a part of this community for a very long time and we're so happy to help folks here, to be a part of the community, to be a good community partner and steward of a lot of folks money and help and help any way that we can to find financial solutions for folks. So if you're not a customer of ours, we'd love to do business with you. And like you said, we try to make a friendly family atmosphere where people want to come and do business with us.
And so don't forget we serve popcorn on Fridays, but you can have coffee any day of the week. But it's just another fun way for people to hopefully break down some of those barriers and not feel so intimidating to come into the bank. And don't forget you got the Sunrise reporter that we put
out. There's there every day, so if you're waiting for your appointment, you can take a quick read and then you can go on in and say, hey, I feel fully important anyway, your professionals that you have there as far as getting you taken care of, as far as establishing an account or perhaps maybe getting something straightened out, or even better yet, helping you
get that home loan, absolutely automobile loan. Those folks are I tell you what, I don't know where you find them, because they're about the friendliest people ever. Well, we have great associates who are doing for us that are experienced and have the knowledge and the industry, and I think one of the things that is just they all live our mission statement, and that's just people helping people find financial solutions for life and they want to go above and
beyond for people. And so I'm just really proud of the work that we do. I'm proud of our associates, and we continue to find great people to live out that mission. And one of these fine missions that we got coming out here too. Once again, it's an initiative here, it's the one million Meals and the food partner here locally is Mary Martha Outreach. And just remember you can go to the branch, you can use your app,
you can do a whole lot of different ways to make a contribution. Absolutely, and remember one dollar provides for five meals and we're trying to raise a million meals. How many meals have we raised over the years, so twenty two point nine million meals over the last fourteen years. Last year we did two point two nine million meals, so we got to make three I know, and we're triving to it's there, yes, And if you've already made a donation, I just want to say a big thank you for that.
We've had several people already make donations. Last week we were selling eclipse glasses and those were going like hotcakes. And so I just really appreciate anyone who's who's made a contribution already. No, I gotta tell you what the thing is around here. A lot of folks remember maybe a time in their life where food may have been a little scarce, absolutely, and now they're doing
okay. And it's really not a hard ask, you know. And I think a lot of folks will just quietly just go here some stuff that don't click paper and even if it's changed, you know, I mean, it goes absolutely, it all goes long way, absolutely, and so just whatever you can give, we're so grateful that you've taken just a little bit of money and set it aside for folks that need That is really wonderful. That's the one million meals. And this is with our best and the local partners.
Mary Martha Outrache, I want to thank you for coming in and sharing with this no other than just we appreciate your business and thank you for allowing us to be members in your community. We all of us live here locally and we just appreciate the opportunity to serve you. Thank you very much. Whitney Dooland Executive Vice President arbas Bank, Thank you for being with us here on community Connection. Thank you