As a local credit union, we take great pride in serving our members and the local Tampa Bay area through charitable efforts and community initiatives. Our team members even receive paid volunteer days to contribute to causes they’re passionate about. We’ve seen firsthand the impact we can make with the mutual support and hard work of so many wonderful people and organizations — so thank you! Take a look at what we’ve been up to this year.

Community Volunteering & Support

Paint the Town

We kicked off 2025 with the annual Paint the Town event. Organized by the University Area Community Development Corporation(UACDC), Paint the Town focuses on the redevelopment and sustainability of at-risk areas surrounding the University of South Florida (USF). Grow Financial donated $250,000 to the UACDC to assist with hurricane recovery efforts, and our team members spent the day volunteering — assembling e-bikes to provide affordable transportation and working on a wide variety of beautification projects in the USF area.

St. Jude Walk

Since 2014, we’ve been a proud sponsor of the Tampa Bay St. Jude Walk, and this year was no different! Knowing every step counts, our team showed up ready to walk the walk. We laced up our sneakers, filled up our water bottles and joined forces with an incredible community to support the fight against childhood cancer. Thanks to everyone who went the distance with us! Learn more about how each step saves lives.

Feeding Tampa Bay

In response to the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, we committed $750,000 to Feeding Tampa Bay, a leading force in disaster relief and food security. The donation helped support families with meals, housing assistance, essential appliances, transportation, clothing and ongoing recovery support.

On top of that, we spent a day service at Feeding Tampa Bay this November, donating an impressive 430 pounds of food and helping prepare enough produce bags for over 7,000 meals. And that’s just one day! Throughout the year, our team members have volunteered over 494 hours of their time to this organization — proof of how much our community means to us.

Government Shutdown Assistance

During the longest government shutdown to date, Grow didn’t hesitate to step in for our members and community at large. We worked quickly to offer emergency loans to those affected and help them navigate financial hardships. We also organized food drives at various stores to support those who had lost benefits. Helping the community overcome difficult times is what we’re here for, and we will continue to live out our mission of serving people, not profit.

Holiday Events

For the festive season, we hosted two community events for the residents of West River. The first was a Thanksgiving meal, where people got the chance to take a break, have fun with friends and neighbors, and enjoy a warm, free meal together.

The second was our Cookies & Cocoa party, where we gave gifts to every child in attendance, offered photos with Santa and, of course, provided refreshments. These events are just another example of how we make sure our community feels seen, supported and celebrated during the holiday season.

Youth & Education

MLK Sponsorship Program

We were honored to sponsor the MLK Scholarship Program for the fourth consecutive year. This program, created by the Dr. Martin Luther King Parade Foundation, Inc., awards college scholarships to exceptional Hillsborough County students who have demonstrated academic excellence and a deep commitment to community service. We’re so proud to support these talented students and can’t wait to see the things they’ll accomplish!

Think Big for Kids

This summer, we welcomed a group of high school students for a six-week internship through Think Big for Kids, an organization dedicated to preparing youth for career success. Interns got to connect with team members across a variety of departments and gain firsthand insight into the many career paths available within the financial services industry. We’re grateful for the opportunity to help young people build the skills they need to thrive. Learn more about our summer internship here.

Grow Clinic at USF

We announced an exciting partnership with USF that will empower financial literacy in our local community. The new Grow Financial Literacy and Planning Clinic at USF will provide financial resources and education to students, high school teachers and residents in the greater Tampa Bay area. Grow plans to commit up to $1.8 million to the clinic over the next four years — just another way we’re making things grow.

Veteran Support

It’s no secret that we have a special place in our hearts for military service members. As a credit union founded on MacDill Air Force Base, we continuously look for ways to honor our roots and serve the people who have served this country, including events like:

Habitat for Humanity Veterans Build Week

We joined forces with Friends of US Military Families for another wonderful Veterans Build Week of Service. This event, hosted annually by Habitat for Humanity, provides affordable home improvement services for veterans and their families in Hillsborough County. Our Grow team members enjoyed a day of hard work, household maintenance and community building with other volunteers. It’s always inspiring to see how many people are willing to dedicate their time to our local veterans. 

Patriot Fest

This year, we sponsored the annual Patriot Fest in Clearwater. This Veterans Day celebration is organized by the Florida Veterans Coalition, which aims to support the financial, emotional and regulatory needs of veterans — and also happens to be one of our proud business members. We were so thrilled to see all the team members, members and local community who came together to show their appreciation and have fun.

Community Service Continues

Grow team members didn’t stop there. To date, our team has put in over 7,000 volunteer hours at a variety of organizations, including Meals on Wheels, Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, Celebrate Birthdays, Humane Society of Tampa Bay, Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Tampa Pride, Metropolitan Ministries and much more. We’re so proud of everyone who takes our commitment to community seriously. Here’s to even more support and service in 2026!

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