2025: A year in community giving

Updated March 9, 2026  |   Published January 16, 2026 by Angela Talbot | Reading Time: 4 minutes

Categories:  
• Webster First

As we reflect on 2025, one thing becomes clear: the profound impact of giving back. At Webster First, supporting our communities has always been at the core of who we are, and this past year was no exception. From financial contributions to hands-on efforts that provided essential items and support to those in need, we were proud to make a difference in countless ways. With over $203,000 in donations and sponsorships, along with meaningful acts of service, our goal was to strengthen the communities we call home. We strive to help make our neighborhoods not just places to live, but places to thrive, creating opportunities and fostering connections. Here is a look back on Webster First’s community impact in 2025.

Supporting local events

Webster First has 14 branches across 4 counties in Massachusetts and we are actively participating in local events in the communities we serve. For several years we’ve been involved in events like the Winthrop Improvement and Historical Society’s (WIHA) Strawberry Festival, The Taste of Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, The Wicked Big Car Show, Whitinsville Community Center’s Cars in the Park, Saugus Founders Day, and Douglas Oktoberfest among many others. We’re proud of our continued partnerships with these community events which grow bigger and more exciting every year.

Being involved in community events is more than just participation for us. It’s a reflection of our values as a regional credit union. We believe that true success comes from building strong, meaningful connections with the people and organizations around us. These events give us the opportunity to meet our neighbors, listen to their stories, and work together toward a shared goal: making our communities the best they can be.

Volunteering

Our team spent their time volunteering this year for organizations like Habitat for Humanity and United Way. In our partnership with Habitat for Humanity we built a playhouse that was donated to a child of a veteran family, the Bourdon family, as well as a real house in for a Worcester family in need. We put together a team to walk in the UMass Cancer Walk at Polar Park. Our walking team, “Webster First for a Cure,” fundraised more than $7,000 for cancer research and clinical trials. We are proud to have a network of employees who are generous enough to give their time for others, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish in 2026.

Driving donations

We held several donation drives throughout the year including a food drive for Friendly House Worcester, an essentials drive for Veteran’s Inc., and holiday gift drives for Saugus Fire Department, Douglas Seniors, Kiwanis Club Worcester, Salesians Boys and Girls Club of East Boston, and Webster Federated Church of Christ.

Giving back

Our charitable giving in 2025 included but was not limited to organizations dedicated to helping veterans, children’s wellbeing, shelter animals, food insecurity, cancer research, and environmental protection.  Some notable donations from last year included:

$50,000 to Fresh Truck

Fresh Truck is an organization in the Boston area whose mission is to provide fresh food to households that need it most. There are many neighborhoods that don’t have an easily accessible grocery store to shop for healthy food. Fresh Truck created a mobile food market that drives around these neighborhoods to solve this very problem. In addition to Webster First’s monetary donation, we gave 1,000 canvas grocery totes.

$20,000 to local food banks

We donated a combined $20,000 to Worcester County Food Bank and Webster-Dudley Food Share during the holiday season when families are in need of it the most.

$10,000 to Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester

We helped Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester‘s team purchase new laptops and technical equipment that will greatly assist them in their mission of building safe and affordable homes for families in need.

What matters to our employees

We believe in supporting the causes that are important to our team members. To empower them to give back in a personal and meaningful way, we launched a new initiative in March 2025. This program enables each of our departments and branch teams to select a cause they are passionate about and support it on behalf of the credit union. Here are the organizations they chose to support:

• March: Our IT department supported Limbs for Life Foundation
• April: Our Charlton branch supported Charlton Chip-In Food Pantry
• May: Our Call Center supported the Pan Mass Challenge
• June: Our West Boylston branch supported West Boylston Veterans Barbecue
• July: Our Douglas branch supported Simon Fairfield Public Library
• August: Our Mortgage Department supported Jak-L Mental Health Foundation
• September: Our Spencer branch supported Savage Foundation
• October: Our Winthrop branch supported CASA: Community Action for Safe Alternatives
• November: Our Webster branch supported Webster-Dudley Food Share
• December: Our Human Resources department supported Mass Equality

Here’s to an even more impactful year for giving and community connection in 2026!