Volunteering in the communities we serve is a year-round priority for us at Sandy Spring Bank, but it’s a tradition for us to end the year with a special emphasis on giving back through our Season of Sharing.

As the largest, locally headquartered community bank in the Greater Washington region, Sandy Spring Bank works closely with Capital Area Food Bank, the region’s largest food bank, to help fight hunger. That’s why over the past six years we have donated over 120,000 meals and worked with the food bank to help improve access to nutritious food for all of our neighbors.

This year I am celebrating my 20th anniversary with Sandy Spring Bank. In 1996, I fell in love and relocated to Rockville from Chicago. I worked for an ad agency in Chicago and it was a stressful life. So when I moved, I was determined to have a career with more life balance.

“From here. For here. For 150 years.” The bank’s tagline speaks volumes to me, since the bank has been my only employer. With just a work permit and an application, I started my career here in 1980 as part of the on-the-job-training program at Sherwood High School.

As we celebrate another Season of Sharing at Sandy Spring Bank, this year is especially meaningful because it is also our 150th anniversary. What better way to mark this milestone than by giving back—and that’s what we’ve been doing all year long.

I was born and raised in Olney, Maryland, on farmland that had been in my family for over one hundred years—and also happened to be close to the Sandy Spring Bank Olney branch.

At Sandy Spring Bank we strive to be an advocate for our clients and communities. We look for meaningful ways to invest in our communities and the people who make this such a special place to live, work and raise a family.

At Sandy Spring Bank, one of employees’ favorite volunteer events is making PB&J sandwiches for our partners at Our Daily Bread in Baltimore. This Season of Sharing tradition once again brought together dozens of employees from across the bank to assemble nearly 1,000 sandwiches this week.

We couldn’t have marked our 150th anniversary this year without you. After all, you’re the reason we’re a premier community bank in the greater Washington area.

For more than five years, Sandy Spring Bank has proudly supported the Maryland Food Bank, and this year is no exception. The bank recently presented to the Food Bank a $10,000 donation, which will provide 30,000 meals to our neighbors in need this holiday season.