BLOOMINGTON, Ind., — Monroe Bank’s travel and social club for those customers 50 years of age and up, Prime Time, recently sent approximately 200 pounds of holiday cheer to troops in Afghanistan. The shipment, which consisted of food items, toiletries, books, CDs, stationery and phone cards, was split between two units.

Both units are comprised of mostly Hoosiers, and have strong ties to Bloomington.  The first, the 1413th Engineering Detachment, is an Engineering unit based at Camp Atterbury near Edinburg. They are focused on rebuilding roads and buildings in and around Qandahar Air Base. Specialist Aaron White, son of Monroe Bank’s Vice President, Electronic Banking Manager, Bob White is a member of the 1413th, with five more months remaining in Afghanistan. The second is the 76th Light Infantry Brigade, the same unit that Monroe Bank employee John Perzo called home for more than a year. They are focused on doing security missions and helping with training the Afghan Army.

Said Monroe Bank’s Prime Time Manager, Bill Bennett, “The members of Prime Time wanted to do something to say thank you to those Hoosiers, and Bloomington sons and daughters, who are sacrificing a holiday season spent with their families to protect our basic freedoms. We wanted our soldiers to know that they are in our thoughts, particularly during this time of year.”

The items were collected at the Bank’s annual Prime Time holiday party on December 1, which boasted attendance of over 400 people. The UPS Store on College Mall Road provided free packing supplies and packing services while Monroe Bank footed the bill for the shipping.

Monroe Bank was established in 1892 in Bloomington, Indiana and is the wholly owned subsidiary of Monroe Bancorp, an Indiana bank holding company headquartered in Bloomington. Monroe Bank offers a full range of financial, trust and investment services to more than 20,000 retail and commercial customers through offices in Monroe, Jackson, Lawrence and Hendricks counties. The Company's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® National Stock Market under the symbol MROE.