#DriveUpPups is back for its third year starting July 1!
With overwhelming community support, #DriveUpPups returns to Commerce Bank for its third year. And it couldn’t come at a better time — many shelters are seeing more and more dogs come through their doors than ever before.
As necessary as this fundraiser is, it’s not only this time of year that Commerce Personal Bankers enjoy seeing pups in the drive-thru lane. Many of them will tell you that seeing dogs in the car with their customers is the highlight of their day, which is why plenty of dog treats are kept on-hand at all times.
Personal Banker Emily Geiser said, “We absolutely love seeing the doggos in our drive-thrus. But I really love my girl Kiki! She’s been coming in since I started working at this branch seven years ago. Her eyes get big with excitement as she sits or lays in the passenger seat, very sweetly and patiently waiting for her treat. Shout out to Yoshi, Coco, Sugar, Chanel and all of our sweet pups. And RIP, our boy Marley.”
Morgan Lee — another Personal Banker — said, “We have a regular customer who often comes with his dog, Miley. She is named after Miley Cyrus because she came into his life like a wrecking ball. She always knows that the bank means it is time for treats and even recognizes our voices!”
Commerce Bank is once again collaborating with Bar K, a dog-friendly bar, restaurant and dog park with locations in both Kansas City and St. Louis. During #DriveUpPups, our four-legged friends will receive a card for free entry ($10 value) to meet other pups and explore the fun.
So how does it work?
This year’s event starts on July 1 and runs through September 30. The bank is hosting two kick-off events at both the St. Louis and Kansas City Bar K locations on July 2 from 10 a.m. to noon. Following that event, through the duration of #DriveUpPups, each pup that comes through the drive-thru will get a special snack. For participating pup parents, please take a photo of your four-legged friend and use the hashtag #DriveUpPups for Instagram and tag #DriveUpPups so that we can share your photo on our social media channels, too.
For each photo that’s posted, we will donate $10, with a maximum of $10,000 to organizations within our region that work to make life better for dogs in the area.
One of the organizations that will benefit from this effort is the Kansas Humane Society. According to Shanna Ireland, their Community Engagement Manager, they are seeing the highest intake numbers of strays into their city shelter in over 10 years. “This fundraiser will allow KHS to provide the care the animals need while in shelter. It allows us to feed, provide medical care and offer a safe resting place for them until they find their forever home,” she said. The Kansas Humane Society does not receive any city, state or national government funding and relies solely on donations and cost of services to operate.
The Central Missouri Humane Society will also be receiving funds from this fundraiser. They are the only open-door animal shelter to service Boone County. Fundraisers like this help them with daily care, medical needs and allow them to offer discounted adoptions throughout the summer when space becomes an issue. According to Stephanie Lanham, Operations Manager, Central Missouri Humane Society, the shelter is seeing surrender requests rising rapidly. “As the only open-door shelter in the area, we don’t have the ability to turn away those dogs that may have behavior or health needs, which leads to a lengthened stay with us,” she said.
For a full list of all participating partners, visit commercebank.com/driveuppups. Let’s make this year’s #DriveUpPups fundraiser the best one yet. See you (and your pup) in the drive
