The staff of First State Community Bank (FSCB) in Wright City and Warrenton mixed community support with financial education on Saturday, when they offered a free clothing giveaway to clients at the Wright City Community Food Pantry.

The event came with a twist: Families with kids were given play money and prices were set on all the clothes so that the youngsters could learn to shop and manage their money. Meanwhile, financial advisers were available for any adult visitors who wanted to have a conversation.

The clothing giveaway was the culmination of a month-long collection run by FSCB and First State Insurance Agency, with donations coming from staff and many community members, said marketing director Alexis Fast. It was a new addition to a roster of community-oriented programs run by the bank.

“We’re a small, community bank. Our whole purpose is for our community, so we need to be a part of the community so they see us and know that we’re here for them,” Fast said. “We knew that people needed clothes, especially right before the school year.” 

Fast said she reached out to the food pantry to ask how much clothing might be needed and how best to partner for the giveaway, then appealed to bank customers for their support.

“It was crazy. We collected for a whole month, and we had people bringing eight bags of clothes,” she said.

Fast also thanked EO Laundromat in Wright City for donating gift cards for clothing recipients to also get their clothes washed.

Brad Schuster, FSCB branch president, estimated that around 1,000 clothing items had been collected for the event. This is the first time for the clothing drive, but it’s just one of several programs that FSCB offers for people in the area, Schuster said.

“We always try to find different things that we can do in the community to give back,” Schuster commented. “We want to  do our part to make sure Wright City is a healthy, growing community.” 

Joe Purl, the head of the food pantry, said the charity has partnered with FSCB on multiple occasions to offer services and financial counseling for the poor. He said the success of the community food pantry is built on such community partnerships.

“We succeed when we partner together. Nobody has all the resources themselves. ... We see that not only at the individual level, not only at the family level, but also in the organizations that operate in Wright City,” Purl said. “When more people step in, we’re all better off.

“We’re willing to partner with anyone who has similar goals in helping families be stable — not only with food, but with finances and housing,” Purl added. “God is at work to help this city thrive.”