LITTLE VALLEY – As the Christmas holiday draws near, we can’t help but think of several things. We think of staying warm. We think about gathering together with our families and/or friends. We think of the abundance of food we are privy to. Some think about the smiles of loved ones as they open their gifts.

At Cattaraugus County Bank, the employees are thinking about how to help the communities in which they do business. They’re thinking about how to make a difference. And as a result, this is what they’re doing and how they’ve decided to make the difference happen.

South Dayton: A “CCB Community Christmas Gift Tag Tree” will be on display. The tree will display tags with information about children in need from the South Dayton area. From now until Dec. 6, tags will be taken from the tree by friends and customers of CCB. After all of the gifts are brought back into CCB, employees of the bank, local churches, Pine Valley Central School representatives, the Salvation Army and the local Food Pantry will all work together to deliver them to families in the area.

Jamestown: CCB em-ployees are working in coordination with the Falconer Central School nurse. They are receiving angels to place on their tree for customers to take and purchase gifts. Gifts purchased and returned to CCB will be delivered by the school nurse.

Little Valley: CCB partners with HomeCare & Hospice of Olean to welcome ornaments after the Little Valley “Tree of Life” ceremony is over, which takes place at the VFW Post 8734 in town. The ornaments bring CCB’s tree to life by displaying ornaments commemorating the loved ones of the families in our Little Valley community. The decorations remain until after Dec. 25.

Randolph: There is an “Angel Tree” at CCB in Randolph, as well. Randolph’s program is run through a local church. The tree contains tags containing a child’s gender, age, size and likes or interests. Again, the public is welcome and even encouraged to take a tag and return the gift(s), with tag attached, to CCB in Randolph by the last Saturday prior to Christmas. Presents are then delivered by church members and volunteers who have gathered the names of families in need.

Springville: CCB is participating in The Trading Post’s “Giving Tree.” Friends and customers of CCB are invited to purchase a paper ornament for $1. The purchaser writes his/her name on the ornament and places it on the tree. The Trading Post is located at 38 Franklin St. in Springville and 11 Washington St. in Cattaraugus and operates in a store atmosphere, where families are able to come in to access, trade or purchase gently used clothing, food and household necessity items.

Franklinville: CCB takes part in GA Family Service’s “Angel Tree Christmas Donation Program.” Paper ornaments don the tree with information about individual children and their needs. The public is encouraged to take an ornament, purchase what’s needed and return it to CCB. GA Family Services collects and distributes the gifts to children in foster care as Christmas gifts from Santa. Gifts must be received by Dec. 3 at CCB.

In addition to activities at these CCB locations, CCB has a team of employees called the America’s Promise Team. These folks work hard all year raising money to send back out into all the areas they serve by helping youth in many different ways. At this particular time of year, they fund gifts for at least two children in each of the communities CCB serves.

CCB wishes all a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

About CCB

CCB is an FDIC-insured, New York state chartered independent, community bank. From Jan. 2, 1902, CCB has established an unprecedented record of fiscal integrity and sound financial growth, which now totals $185 million in assets. CCB maintains convenient ATMs and can be found on the web at www.ccblv.com. CCB is an equal housing lender. CCB’s main office is located in Little Valley, with seven branch offices.