Highlighting the spirit of the season and the age-old saying “It’s better to give than to receive,” hundreds of underprivileged children enjoyed a brighter holiday thanks to Bank Rhode Island’s (BankRI) 17th Annual Holiday Giving Tree program and the generosity of Bank customers and staff who came together to donate more than 1,000 gifts exceeding the total collected last year.

In Warwick, customers and staff of the Bank’s Centerville Road, Warwick Avenue, and West Shore Road branches provided more than 80 gifts for children served by House of Hope. Some of the most popular gifts donated were character pajamas, books, arts and craft kits, Matchbox cars and action figures.

“Our Holiday Giving Tree program is a long-standing tradition that gives our customers and staff a way to make a difference in the lives of kids who otherwise may not have any gifts to open this season,” said Mark J. Meiklejohn, president and CEO of BankRI. “The continued success of this effort not only demonstrates how caring our community is, it also shines a light on the importance of spreading happiness to children during a special time of year.”

Beginning on Nov. 28, each of BankRI’s 19 branches displayed a Holiday Giving Tree in its lobby, partnering with a local nonprofit that provided each location with the wish lists of children they serve. Each child’s holiday wish was placed on an ornament and hung on the tree, giving customers and staff an opportunity to select one and provide that child with a gift for the holidays. Over the course of the following weeks, donors returned to their branch to place the gifts beneath the Holiday Giving Tree, where they were picked up by partnering organizations for distribution.

Partnering organizations of BankRI’s 17th Annual Holiday Giving Tree include: Adoption Rhode Island, Aids Care Ocean State, Community Care Alliance, Connecting for Children & Families, Kingstown Crossings, East Bay Community Action Program, House of Hope, SSTARBIRTH, Tis the Season Coventry/West Greenwich, Town of East Greenwich Department of Human Services, Tri-Town Community Action, Welcome House of South County, and Women’s Center of Rhode Island.