Wells Fargo Marks 160th Anniversary
Wells Fargo is marking it’s 160th anniversary, by giving back to the community. Today they donated $50,000.00, to Martha’s Village and Kitchen, in Indio and it doesn’t stop there. Bank employees are rolling up their sleeves, helping local families to build their dream homes, in Coachella.
Joseph Mishriki is the Desert Border Regional President for Wells Fargo. He tells us, “Team members are here today, donating 5 hours each, which is equal to about 160 hours.”
That marks 160 years of working to improve communities, from coast to coast. Nadia Villagran, Director of Operations and Communications for the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition tells us, “Wells Fargo is a great partner with CVHC. They give us assistance through grants and great rates in construction loans and they also bring out their workforce and put a little sweat into it as well.”
Letty Cantero is a Wells Fargo branch manager. She says, “Actually we’re going to go until this project is complete. We want to make sure we start something and finish it.”
These volunteers, who you’d normally see working at local branches, are focusing on 3 homes, just a small part of a very big project. Villagran says, “We are at a sub-division in Coachella. It’s 205 self-help homes. And that’s a subdivision that CVHC operates with the USDA. Basically families work in teams of 10-13 and they build homes in their group.”
Families commit to working nights and weekends, alongside their future neighbors, for 10 to 12 months. They keep green elements in mind, every step of the way. Villagran says, “We’re talking about an energy efficiency that’s a financial benefit to our families. These homes stay affordable because of those features.”
Including steel framing, high efficiency windows and tankless water heaters. Attention to detail that wells fargo recognized as special. Mishriki says, “It’s a great organization. We’ve recently donated $50,000.00 to them, to help with the grants, in putting people in these homes.
But it doesn’t stop there. Today, there was another surprise. Mishriki says, “On behalf of Wells Fargo, we’d like to present this check for $15,000, to help people get into more affordable housing.”
