After rival banks closed for the day Thursday, workers met for a fight at Dunmore Corners.
Fidelity Bank employees wore green. Peoples Security Bank & Trust employees wore blue. The two sides stood across from each other on West Drinker Street, armed with thousands of water balloons.
The employees laughed and shrieked as the balloons flew across the street, soaking their shirts on the 85-degree, sunny evening. The third annual Bankers’ Water Balloon Battle raised more than $3,100 for Bread Basket of NEPA, whose seven Lackawanna County food pantries have experienced growing demand amid funding uncertainties.
“I think it's just really cool that two competitors in the market can get together and have this friendly competition,” said Joe Tini, Fidelity marketing communications manager.
Dunmore Police closed the block, and borough DPW employees planned to use the street sweeper to pick up the thousands of broken balloons.
Fighting food insecurity
For Bread Basket, the funding boost comes at a time of great need.
“We struggle every year to keep up with the rising cost of food, and this helps us to sustain keeping our shelves filled and available for those with food insecurity,” said Rosemary Bohenek, president of the Bread Basket board.
Bread Basket’s pantries served almost 30,000 people last year, up from 22,000 the year before. The money raised through the water balloon fight will help the organization purchase milk, Bohenek said. The federal government recently cut the grant program that had provided milk to food banks.
A yearly tradition in Dunmore
A small crowd gathered to watch Thursday’s fight. As balloons flew and water splattered nothing — and no one — was safe. Ten minutes into the fight, Peoples Security ran out of balloons. When each balloon had broken, the bankers hurled buckets of water at their competitors.
The soaked employees from both banks gathered on the wet street for a check presentation to Bread Basket — money the workers had donated and their employers had matched.
It’s a summer tradition everyone plans to continue, said Mike Cummings, senior vice president and director of marketing for Peoples Security.
“There's a street between us, but it's really just a street,” he said. “We really do work together a lot, and it's just a fun time.”
