On a Saturday afternoon in September, a line of cars will pull into the parking lot of a new bank branch in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and for a few minutes each, their drivers will hand over the accumulated paper of their lives—old tax returns, decades of bank statements, medical records, pay stubs, and the stray bills that have been gathering dust in closets and drawers. They won't get out of their vehicles. Bank employees will lift the bags from their trunks and back seats, and a short while later, all of it will be reduced to confetti and recycled into tissue paper, paper towels, and dental bibs.
This is ShredFest, the free community document-destruction event hosted by Greenfield Savings Bank, and on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 12:30 to 3 p.m., it makes its debut at the bank's newest location at 1 Sierra Vista Boulevard, next to the Starbucks. The event is free and open to everyone—no account at the bank is required—and each vehicle may bring up to three shopping bags of sensitive documents for secure destruction and recycling by Infoshred.
The premise is simple, but the stakes are personal. "Paper documents are a tool for identity thieves. They use everyday mail, old tax returns and financial statements to commit fraud," said Peter Albero, president and CEO of Greenfield Savings Bank. "We hope our ShredFest will give our neighbors a convenient, proactive and earth-friendly way to clear clutter and safeguard family assets."
The event is a drive-through affair by design. Participants are asked to remain in their vehicles throughout their visit while GSB team members remove the bags, both for safety and to keep the line moving. The bank also asks that attendees not arrive before the 12:30 p.m. start time. The shredding happens on-site, with documents placed into bins that are emptied into the shredder; to keep traffic flowing, drivers may not always be able to watch their own bin disappear into the machine, but the destruction is real and immediate.
ShredFest is not a one-off gesture. It is an annual tradition for the bank, which held its spring edition on April 18 at its main office in downtown Greenfield, where the big shredding truck set up in the parking lot at 400 Main Street. That event capped participation at two shopping bags per person; the Easthampton edition, the first at the new branch, allows three per car. The bank's website frames the ritual with a slogan that captures the spirit of the day: "Don't risk it, SHRED it."
The choice of Easthampton as the venue is itself a story. Greenfield Savings Bank opened its Easthampton branch in June, and the location serves as the bank's southern headquarters, strengthening its presence and long-term commitment to the community. It is the bank's ninth location, offering personal and business banking, along with wealth management and trust services, residential and commercial lending, and cash management. The branch is led by Branch Manager Melvin Coleman.
That community-mindedness runs deep in the institution's history. Greenfield Savings Bank was founded in 1869 to provide a safe and secure institution in which the working class of Greenfield and Franklin County could save their money.
The environmental side of ShredFest is as deliberate as the security side. According to the bank, Infoshred recycled more than 4,800 tons of paper in 2025, turning the shredded material into products such as tissue paper, paper towels, and dental bibs. For residents, the event offers a way to clear clutter that is both proactive and earth-friendly—a chance to turn a pile of sensitive paperwork into recycled goods rather than a target for fraud.
The bank's guidance for what to bring is straightforward: bank statements, credit card statements, tax documents, pay stubs, medical records, old bills and receipts, and anything containing Social Security or account numbers. What not to bring is equally clear—no electronics, batteries, plastic items, binders, binder clips, large metal objects, or household trash. Paper grocery bags, small cardboard boxes, and reusable totes work best, and staples and paper clips are generally fine, though larger binder clips and binders should be removed. The event will be held rain or shine unless severe weather creates unsafe conditions.
For a bank whose founding mission was to give working families a safe place to keep their money, ShredFest is a fitting extension of that promise—a way to help neighbors protect what they've saved, one bag of paper at a time. As Albero put it, the hope is to give the community "a convenient, proactive and earth-friendly way to clear clutter and safeguard family assets." On September 12, in the parking lot of a brand-new branch built with the community in mind, that promise will be put into practice, car by car, bag by bag, shred by shred.