Stories

Our branch employees are rallying around local partners amid business disruption caused by the pandemic.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Bank employees have been teaming up with local small businesses to provide meals for health care workers and other first responders. 

With banking having been defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as an essential service to the country, thousands of our employees report to work every day in branches and other offices – at which the company has adopted CDC guidelines for workplace safety, such as by installing plexiglass shields and shifting to drive-ups.

As stay home orders came into place and local restaurants moved to take-out only, a number of branches chose to support them by ordering lunch for staff. Word spread and it quickly became a nationwide effort, dubbed #SupportLocal, and expanded to include donating meals for first responders, where possible. 

“We wanted to show our gratitude to the front-line workers and first responders who are doing so much for our communities,” said Judie Verb, Mountain Region Executive Vice President for Consumer & Business Banking at U.S. Bank and one of several senior leaders helping to drive the initiative. “And in times of crisis, it is more important than ever for our small business customers to know we support them.”

In Las Vegas, her team partnered with Tony’s Mexican Grill and Cracked Egg to provide lunch for health care workers at North Vista Hospital and first responders at the Clark County Fire Department. And their coworkers across the mountains recently partnered with Intermountain Healthcare to feed 1,400 health care workers at McKay-Dee Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Similarly, in the Pullman neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, the bank funded a weeks-long program for local restaurants Majani Soulful Cuisine and Lexington Betty Smokehouse to provide lunch at nearby Roseland Community Hospital.

In Minneapolis, our employees partnered with Abdirahman Kahin, owner of the Afro Deli & Grill to provide lunch to health care workers Fairview Hospital.

The types of regional and cultural foods varied greatly across the country – but one commonality was, as could be expected, pizza. Shown below, Kentucky firefighters enjoyed pies from Fort Thomas Pizza & Tavern.

Our employees have also made it a focus to thank local nonprofit partners. Hany Haddad and coworkers at the West Hollywood branch delivered pizza to the Los Angeles LGBT Youth Center, which serves homeless youth.

In Minneapolis Doug Scalia and coworkers partnered with Peoples Organic to provide meals for staff at St. David’s Center for Child & Family Development, which is a preschool, mental health clinic and pediatric therapy clinic.

The bank has also supported nonprofits by overhauling its approach to community giving for this year, such as by expediting and allowing flexible use of grants. It also established an virtual volunteer network to help employees connect their skills to community needs.

“Our entire team has rallied around each other, our customers and our communities, and it is a tremendous honor to work with them as we fight this pandemic,” wrote U.S. Bank Chairman, President and CEO Andy Cecere in a message to customers and employees. “We stand together, and we are focused on keeping people healthy and safe – personally, professionally and financially.”