Community Bank Broadford customer and relationship officer Sam Wood, Kilmore customer service officer Jackie Leaver, Kilmore and Broadford branch operations manager Casey Smith, Karingal board member Fiona McCarthy, Community Bank Wallan senior customer relationship manager Kirsty Galea, NorCen board director Kit Holland and Community Bank community marketing officer Murray Jenkins at Community Bank’s stall on Station St.
Photo by
Billie Davern
Business was booming on two of Seymour’s busiest streets at the weekend, all thanks to a clever initiative facilitated by Community Bank’s nearby branches.
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For three hours on Saturday, October 11, shoppers on Station St and Anzac Ave were handed a token from participating retailers and hospitality hotspots when they spent more than $10 in-store.
They were then prompted to attend one of Community Bank’s two nearby marquees, run by staff from the Broadford, Kilmore and Wallan branches, where they could place their token in a glass jar.
Jada Scarlett and Emily Homewood were on shift at participating store Gaffneys Pie Kitchen on the day.
Photo by
Billie Davern
Fiona McCarthy was accepting tokens for Karingal.
Photo by
Billie Davern
“We’d been exploring ways to meaningfully support Seymour for a while — something that could give local traders a boost while also delivering real community benefit,” said community marketing officer Murray Jenkins, who was the brains behind the event.
“After months of discussion, the shop n’ drop concept felt like a perfect fit.
“It’s simple but powerful: by shopping local, residents directly trigger donations to local not-for-profits. It’s a win for small businesses, a win for local not-for-profits, and a great way to show how the Community Bank model turns local banking into local impact — which in turn, becomes a win for more local community groups, too.”
Community Bank Wallan customer relationship officer Andrea Lever browsed through the GO Op Shop, a participating store.
Photo by
Billie Davern
Nicola Raymond and Mikaylee Carmody from Board Games and Battlegrounds were handing out tokens to shoppers.
Photo by
Billie Davern
With their token, which itself was worth a $10 donation from Community Bank, shoppers could choose to support aged-care provider Karingal or the Seymour and District Community House.
While final figures are yet to be announced, about 700 tokens were handed out across the 20 participating stores, amounting to a total of around $7000 to be donated.
Mr Jenkins said the event reflected Community Bank’s wider vision.
Rebecca Engel from Elsie and Florence had a stack of tokens to hand out.
Photo by
Billie Davern
“Everything we do is about local investment. The Community Bank model reinvests roughly 80 per cent of the profits from customer banking directly back into the community and we’ve proudly delivered over $5 million in funding to local initiatives so far,” he said.
“The Shop n’ Drop captured that perfectly — it demonstrated in real time what happens when people choose to support locally.
“The more people in Seymour who bank with Community Bank Broadford, Kilmore or Wallan, the more we can reinvest into Seymour’s own initiatives. Locals supporting locals — it’s at the heart of what we do, and it’s the way it should be.”
Ellisa Grant from Cafe96 served more than coffee on the day.
Photo by
Billie Davern
The 10 volunteer staff members manning the marquees on the day said local feedback was overwhelmingly positive and they were already brainstorming future initiatives to benefit the Seymour community.
Those who received tokens on the day and didn’t get a chance to stop by the marquees can still donate them in Community Bank’s Kilmore and Wallan branches until the end of October.
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