Bar Harbor Bank & Trust's employee-driven charitable giving program, Casual for a Cause, recently surpassed $500,000 in donations to community organizations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont since the initiative began in 2018.

Including donations from the second quarter of 2026, the contributions from the Bank and Bank employees have amounted to $519,575 in donations to more than 200 nonprofits in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, according to the Bank, in a news release. 

“Casual for a Cause is truly a reflection of who we are as a company,” said Curtis C. Simard, President and CEO of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. “This milestone is a testament to our colleagues’ remarkable generosity and consistency. It brings our values to life in a simple but powerful way, and unites colleagues across the Bank to support the communities we serve.”

Today, approximately 80% of Bank employees participate in the Casual for a Cause program. Team members contribute through bi-weekly payroll deductions in exchange for dressing casually on Fridays. Their contributions are combined and employees then vote on which community organizations will receive donations each quarter.

Donations benefitted nearly all corners of the communities served by Bar Harbor Bank & Trust: senior centers, libraries, food pantries, hospitals, arts organizations, youth programs, community service groups, animal shelters, and more.

“The idea that we’ve reached $500,000 in donations this quickly is beyond anything I could’ve expected when we launched Casual for a Cause eight years ago,” said Jack Frost, VP Director of Community Giving at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. “But as the program has grown, it’s become embedded in the Bank’s culture, and that’s all thanks to the support of my colleagues who continue to donate a portion of each paycheck. Their ongoing commitment makes a tremendous difference in our communities.”

A complete list of Casual for a Cause recipients is available online at barharbor.bank/c4c.

Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE American: BHB) is the parent company of its wholly owned subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. Operating more than 60 locations across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is headquartered in Bar Harbor, Maine, and has more than $4.5 billion in assets. As a leading Northern New England community bank, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust offers a full range of personal and business banking services, as well as wealth management services through its subsidiary Bar Harbor Wealth Management. For more information about Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, visit barharbor.bank or call 888-853-7100. Member FDIC.