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Community Bank Sends Christmas Care Packages to U.S. Armed Forces and Thanks Supporters for Generous Donations  

RAYMORE, MO – 12-08-2023- Community Bank of Raymore (including branches in Peculiar and Harrisonville) and sister bank, Community Bank of Pleasant Hill, have successfully wrapped up their 5th Annual Operation: Gratitude! The purpose of this program is to strengthen community bonds as we unite to express gratitude, share holiday cheer, and bring a bit of “Home” to each active-duty service member as they are away from friends and family.

Community Bank is immensely grateful to every school group, organization, business, customer, and friend for their abundant support of hundreds of thank you notes, help with shipping costs and boxes and boxes of personal hygiene products, snacks, and other holiday fun!

This year, the bank had the pleasure of welcoming Mrs. Huff’s Ray-Pec High School class, who played a part in helping transform plain boxes into cheerful, festive packages! With the help of the community, funds for shopping and shipping costs were raised through a Harrisonville Culvers night and a Raymore Sonic day. Thanks to the combined efforts of local daycares, schools, and community over 700 notes of appreciation were written and included in the care packages!

Bank employees are honored to coordinate this effort and add special personal touches such as miniature handmade keepsake boxes, joke cards, and other tokens from home. Employees also hosted a bake sale, raising over $1900 in a single day! One of the most memorable moments was when a kind-hearted customer bought all remaining bake sale items at one branch – contributing over $500 toward the cause!

Over 293 decorated boxes were filled with beef jerky, macaroni and cheese, snack bars, coffee, hydration drink packets, Christmas trinkets, and cards/letters of gratitude and appreciation. Those boxes were packed into 43 larger boxes and are being shipped to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines in locations such as Kuwait, Djibouti, Iraq, Diego Garcia, and Undisclosed on Ships.

“Operation: Gratitude has become a tradition for Community Bank with some customers collecting items year-round. This undertaking not only touches our recipients, but it brings some additional Christmas Spirit to those that help make it happen.”  Shauna Stephenson, Senior Vice President and Operation: Gratitude Co-Chair.

“My heart is touched each year when letters pour in from students and our community who are grateful for the men and women of our U.S. Military. The gratefulness, compassion and the pure love that is shared in each letter is my ‘why’ to being the team leader organizing and collecting the letters for this event. In the words of Elmer Davis, ‘This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.’ Each letter is a communication piece from home that I hope puts the feeling of appreciation into the brave heroes of our U.S. troops,” Darcie Gray, Operations Associate and Operation: Gratitude Committee Member.

Collection dates for next year’s event are November 1st through November 15th. If you would like to partner with Community Bank with this event, please contact Shauna Stephenson at 816-265-6952 or Tina Graef at 816-265-6932.