Submitted Photo Coats for Kids is one volunteer effort supported by First Western Bank & Trust employees. From left to right are: Nancy Wegenast, Annette Kniffin, Nikki Tverberg, Lisa Hiatt, Joshua Berdahl.

First Western Bank & Trust has partnered with local charities, non-profits, and other organizations to improve each community they serve during their 4th Annual Volunteer Days, today through Friday.

More than 600 hours of volunteering are donated each year by employees, according to the bank. This volunteer event is in memory of founder J.H. “Jack” Hoeven Jr.

“Volunteer Days has become a proud tradition, one that resonates in the hearts of each employee in every region we serve,” said Brenda Foster, chairman, president and CEO of First Western Bank & Trust. “We have a responsibility to improve and serve where we live. That passion was present in our founder, and it continues today.”

Employees in all regions have been cleaning parks, serving meals, saving pets, donating blood and supporting non-profits with like-minded aspirations since the beginning of First Western in 1964.

During Volunteer Days, all employees in every First Western location is given the opportunity to participate in a volunteer activity, most of them occurring during the work day. Some of the service projects scheduled this year include: serving food at soup kitchens, wrapping diapers for needy families, collecting canned goods for food drives, visiting seniors at assisted living facilities, making tie blankets for local shelters and participating in various fundraisers for non-profits throughout North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

First Western Bank & Trust employs about 340 people across 17 locations in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota.