ND & MN – From surprise donations to four lucky charities to a multi-community food drive aimed at fighting hunger and everything in between, Gate City Bank made sure Giving Hearts Day 2025 was one to remember.
In total, Gate City Bank donated more than $217,000 toward Giving Hearts Day charities that keep communities strong, bringing its total giving over the past 11 years to over $2.2 million. The bank has been proud to partner with Giving Hearts Day since 2014, helping 300 charities and matching 100% of team member donations.
“At Gate City Bank, we find so much joy in giving back to our local communities,” said Amanda Torok, SVP of Culture. “To have a giving heart means to create a better way of life for others, which aligns perfectly with Giving Hearts Day. Partnering together each year always brings out the best in our team members, who truly have a passion for supporting our beloved charities.”
Gate City Bank’s Giving Hearts Day nomination contests continue to grow in popularity each year. The bank empowers community members to nominate their favorite charities as many times and as often as they want, all for the chance to create a better way of life.
The bank put forward a total of $45,000 in 2025 – offering one lucky charity the chance to win $25,000, and two additional charities the chance to receive $10,000! This sparked a massive response from countless nominators across the bank’s footprint, who were excited to share the love. More than 166,000 entries were submitted, bringing the bank’s total nominations since its Giving Hearts Day partnership began to over 989,000 – nearly one million!
During a Giving Hearts Day event at Dakota Medical Foundation the morning of February 13, participants erupted into cheers and applause as Gate City Bank revealed Haven as the $25,000 winner! The Fargo, ND-based charity, which builds a community of support for parents who have lost a child, was incredibly thankful for the funds.
“This show of support from Gate City Bank is so amazing, and it’s really going to help grow our mission,” said Jennifer Burgard, Executive Director of Haven. “To meet big goals, we and so many other local nonprofits often turn to area businesses for help, and it makes a huge difference. I’m happy to say that these funds will allow us to secure a location, which will help us better comfort families with knowledge, awareness, empathy and kindness.”
In an essay initially submitted to Gate City Bank to be eligible for the donation, Haven described in heartfelt detail how the bank’s donation would also help them provide “Healing Gifts” to bereaved parents, which help cover medical bills, hospital stays, funeral costs, mental health services and other expenses.
Along with Haven, Dickinson, ND-based Best Friends Mentoring Program and Fargo-Moorhead-based Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley each went home with $10,000! Best Friends connects youth to mentors who can guide, encourage and empower them, and plans to use the funds to expand their reach and quality of mentorship. Additionally, Ronald McDonald House offers a place for families to stay while a child is receiving medical care away from home, and will use the money to cover costs for families to stay an average of 10½ days.
Gate City Bank was also focused on hunger for Giving Hearts Day 2025, and for good reason – one in five people experience it in North Dakota alone, with 50% being children and senior citizens. The bank held a multi-community food drive leading up to February 13, enlisting all of its locations across North Dakota and central Minnesota to collect a stockpile of nonperishable food items that would help alleviate food insecurity across the region.
Through various fundraisers, jeans days, community donation bins and other means, Gate City Bank collected more than 3,800 items! All of which will go to local food-associated nonprofits across the bank’s footprint.
When it came to giving back, Gate City Bank made sure Giving Hearts Day 2025 was a major success. But it had one more surprise. Just as the big day was about to wrap up, the bank gave an additional $10,000! As part of Dakota Medical Foundation’s Golden Ticket selections, which were drawn randomly. The money went to GiGi’s Playhouse, which exists to change the way the world views Down syndrome and send a global message of acceptance for all.
“Gate City Bank has been instrumental in building the legacy of Giving Hearts Day, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their partnership,” said Amanda Sayre, Chief Programs Officer at Dakota Medical Foundation. “The bank’s team members have a genuine love for the charities in their communities, and it never fails to inspire us every year.”
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