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Share the Season: “Holiday Giving Tree” at BankRI Returns to Brighten Season for Local Children
The longstanding program provides gifts for underprivileged children across the state
The season of giving has arrived, and with it comes a tradition that has touched the lives of thousands of local children. Bank Rhode Island (BankRI), a division of Beacon Bank & Trust, has begun its 28thannual Holiday Giving Tree program, inviting customers, employees, and the community to provide gifts for underprivileged kids across the Ocean State.
This year, BankRI has partnered with 16 nonprofit programs that will ensure donated gifts get into the hands of children who need them most. In 2024, the Holiday Giving Tree delivered 6,944 presents for kids.
“As the holidays approach, we know many Rhode Island families continue to feel the strain of the rising cost of everyday essentials,” said Will Tsonos, Regional President. “Every child deserves to experience the joy of this season, no matter their family’s circumstances. By coming together as a community, we can help make this special time of year brighter for local kids.”
From now through the middle of December, every BankRI branch features a Holiday Giving Tree in its lobby, decorated with ornaments that share the name, age, and holiday wish of a child supported by that branch’s nonprofit partner. Customers and community members are invited to stop by their local branch, choose an ornament, and provide a gift for that child. Once a gift has been purchased, donors return to their branch and place the unwrapped present beneath the tree with the original ornament attached.
The nonprofit program partners of the Holiday Giving Tree and the branch collecting on their behalf are:
- Adoption Rhode Island: Pawtucket
- AIDS Care Ocean State: Park Avenue, Cranston
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of RI: Coventry and Oaklawn Avenue, Cranston
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County: Newport
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Warwick: Jefferson Blvd., Warwick Ave., and West Shore Rd., Warwick
- Comprehensive Community Action Program: Plainfield Pike, Cranston
- Connecting for Children & Families: Woonsocket
- Domestic Violence Program of Crossroads RI: East Side, Providence
- East Bay Community Action Program: Highland Avenue and Taunton Avenue, East Providence
- Jonnycake Center for Hope: Wakefield
- Kingstown Crossings: East Greenwich and North Kingstown
- Lucy’s Hearth: Middletown
- Operation Stand Down Rhode Island: Turks Head, Downtown Providence
- SSTARbirth: Atwood Avenue, Cranston
- Town of Lincoln Holiday Basket Program: Lincoln
- Tri-County Community Action Agency: Johnston and Smithfield
For branch information, including address, telephone, and hours of operation, visit BankRI.com/locations.
Share the Season is RINewsToday’s feature on ways Rhode Islanders can brighten the holidays this year Send information to: news@rinewstoday.com