Associated Banc-Corp mobilizes 2,600 employees for companywide Day of Service

Associated Banc-Corp will put nearly 2,600 employees on the clock for service June 23 to June 25, sending workers to more than 200 nonprofits across Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. The fourth annual Day of Service is built around food security and youth services, with each participating employee receiving dedicated volunteer time, a structure that removes one of the biggest barriers to workplace volunteering: having to choose between pay and community work.

The bank said the effort will include repacking food at food banks and pantries, supporting youth summer programs and educational activities, and doing community gardening and cleanup. For the first time, employees in Iowa and Nebraska will join the initiative after the merger with American National Corporation, widening the footprint of a program that started in 2023 and has become one of Associated’s most visible employee engagement efforts.

Associated said the Day of Service had generated more than 20,500 volunteer hours and more than $687,000 in community service value through 2025. LaDonna Reed, senior vice president, director of Community Accountability and president of the Associated Bank Foundation, said the day is "more than a single day" and "a reflection of who we are as a company and how we show up for the communities we serve," while calling the addition of Iowa and Nebraska employees "a proud moment."

The company is pairing the service window with a separate Stock the Box food drive at branches from June 3 through June 19, extending the campaign beyond a single volunteer shift and into a broader push around summer hunger. That timing matters because school meals disappear when classes end, leaving food pantries and neighborhood nonprofits to absorb the gap. Associated also said the 2026 grants will total $13,400 and support 11 nonprofits working in food access, housing stability, youth development and community services.

For workplace and nonprofit leaders, the design of the campaign is the key signal. Associated is not asking employees to invent their own projects or travel to a central event; it is matching local teams with specific needs in six states and using branches, grants and paid time off to keep participation simple. That kind of clarity can help with recruitment, retention and measuring impact, and it offers a model that food-recovery groups like A Simple Gesture know well: recurring donations, local partners and concrete tasks are what turn goodwill into dependable service.