Staff from Building Neighborhoods Together of Bridgeport pose with a Fairfield County Bank representative for a photo to mark the bank's $7,500 donation. Photo courtesy of Fairfield County Bank

Fairfield County Bank said it recently donated $7,500 to Building Neighborhoods Together, formerly the Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust.

Founded in 1986, Building Neighborhoods Together (BNT) is a HUD-certified nonprofit organization committed to addressing income inequality and homelessness by creating safe, affordable housing and providing comprehensive housing and financial counseling services to low-and-moderate-income families across Fairfield County.

Fairfield County Bank has been a steadfast supporter of BNT for the last eight years, both financially and through employee volunteer efforts. Mortgage officers have provided first-time homebuyer education classes to BNT clients as well as on-site events geared towards financial education.

“BNT offers incredible opportunities and a path toward homeownership to the Fairfield County community, and we are proud to be able to help support them,” bank President Dan Berta said in a statement. “Their goal of providing financial education hits very close to home for us, we look forward to continuing to support these efforts through online and in-person seminars for their clients.”

This donation will go towards funding BNT’s Empowerment Resource Academy (ERA). ERA’s mission is to educate families on achieving homeownership and self-sufficiency, retain their housing, maintain financial stability and build wealth. In the last year, BNT has provided classes and workshops to 1,950 households while also conducting one-on-one counseling services with 650 clients.