The July 10 grand opening of a new Wells Fargo branch in Santa Maria wasn’t just a special occasion for bank employees and bank patrons living on the south side of town. The branch, located in the Kohl’s shopping center on the corner of McCoy Lane and South Broadway, also used the time to honor some Santa Barbara County nonprofits.
After serving snacks and refreshments to local families, Wells Fargo employees presented check donations totaling $35,000 to four nonprofits, most of which focus on youth education.
Grant recipients were the Santa Barbara Food Bank ($15,000); the Santa Maria D.A.R.E. program ($10,000); Future Farmers of America ($5,000); and the YMCA ($5,000).
“Wells Fargo is proud to celebrate our newest store location by pledging support to our community,” Joe Mathai, Wells Fargo’s Valley Coastal Market president, said in a press release. “We’re grateful for these organizations that work so hard every day to help the Santa Maria community become more successful.”
The grand opening celebration also featured a special photo op with the iconic Wells Fargo stagecoach, live music, and a live remote radio broadcast from KSNI-FM.
This article appears in Jul 22-29, 2010.