Helping Hands In Competition For $10,000 Grant

JAMESTOWN – Community Helping Hands is a finalist for a $10,000 grant in M&T Bank’s Understanding What’s Important Business Challenge. M&T Bank officials said Helping Hands would use the funds to support a new work force development program.

As a finalist, Community Helping Hands can win the grant through on-line voting. Voters can vote daily for one of the five finalists. Helping Hands was nominated by Trinity Guitars of Jamestown. The other finalists are Benedictine Health Foundation, of Kingston, N. Y., LifePath Christian Ministries of York, Pa., There Goes My Hero Inc. of Lutherville, Maryland and Waggies by Maggie & Friends of Wilmington, Delaware.

Community Helping Hands, a Jamestown-based nonprofit organization which provides emergency assistance to local families in need, has a chance to win up to $10,000 to further their community impact. The public will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite of the five finalist organizations on M&T’s contest website. Voting ends Wednesday, Nov. 22. The winning organization will be awarded $10,000, and the remaining finalists will each receive $1,000.

Community Helping Hands, 31 Water St., provides emergency assistance to local families in need of clothing, household items and furniture.

Finalists were selected based upon independent scoring criteria that weighed key factors including why the community organization is important to the nominating business, the business’ involvement with the organization and the impact of the prize money, an M&T Bank spokesman said. M&T Bank will announce the winning community organization on Tuesday, Nov. 28.