CONTRIBUTED PHOTO First Interstate Bank recently donated $25,000 to the Marshalltown Homelessness Task Force as part of its "Believe in Local" campaign.

The Marshalltown Homelessness Task Force recently received a $25,000 gift from First Interstate Bank and the First Interstate BancSystem Foundation as part of their fifth-annual Believe in Local grant campaign.

From child abuse prevention and crisis childcare to housing assistance and social services, Marshalltown Homelessness Task Force acts as both a fundraiser and a force multiplier, collecting contributions from the public and channeling them where the need is greatest. In the last year alone, those programs have impacted nearly 13,000 individuals across Marshall County. Behind every dollar raised and every program funded is a community that believes in taking care of its own — through annual campaigns, fundraising events like the Duck Race and Turkey Trot, and the quiet generosity of donors and volunteers who show up year after year.

“This grant reinforces what we’ve always believed: that the best solutions come from within the community itself,” said Rachel Norton, Events and Marketing Manager of Marshalltown Area United Way. “Every dollar we invest goes directly to local agencies serving local families, and this support helps us reach even more of our neighbors who need it.”

Twenty First Interstate employees from Marshalltown, including Tara Ficher, Senior Teller, nominated the Marshalltown Homelessness Task Force for the donation.

“Believe in Local has been a cornerstone of who we are for five years now,” Ficher said, “and it never gets old to celebrate nonprofit organizations like Marshalltown Homelessness Task Force that are making a real difference in the places we all call home. Marshalltown is better because of the work they do, and First Interstate is proud to invest in that mission.”

First Interstate launched the Believe in Local campaign in 2022 to celebrate the Bank’s longstanding commitment to the communities it serves. Each year, 40 nonprofit organizations across the Bank’s 10-state footprint receive a $25,000 gift in support of their mission. That results in a total of $1 million given to nonprofits in the Bank’s communities. Marshalltown Area United Way was selected from a pool of over 640 nominations thanks to its alignment with the Bank’s philanthropic goals.

Through the Believe in Local campaign and other community involvement, First Interstate directs a meaningful portion of our earnings back into the communities we serve. These funds aid in the improvement of workforce development, boost early childhood education, and help mitigate poverty.

For more information on First Interstate Bank’s philanthropic efforts, please visit

firstinterstate.com/believeinlocal.