T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Geri Kelley, left, loan processor, and Alissa Huffman, operations officer at Belmont Savings Bank, promote celebrating “random acts of kindness.” Starting Sunday, people will be able to nominate Good Samaritans and essential workers for recognition.

MARTINS FERRY — Times are hard for everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent cold weather, and both essential workers and those small helping hands between friends, neighbors and even strangers can make all the difference.

The Times Leader is partnering with Belmont Savings Bank to recognize those people in Belmont, Harrison, Jefferson and Monroe counties who have stepped up to help others, both essential workers such as law enforcement, first responders and municipal workers, as well as Good Samaritans who have gone out of their way to assist others.

Beginning this Wednesday, people will be able to visit the Times Leader website at timesleaderonline.com to make nominations.

Alicia Freeman, marketing director at the bank, said Belmont Savings Bank was happy to join in the effort.

“I felt it was a good fit with who we are, what we like to do in the community, and it’s a good time to promote being kind,” she said.

“It fits parallel to what our mission as a bank is,” Todd Cover, president and CEO of the bank, said. “To help out those in need. … What we want to do as a bank.”

“It’s all through social media,” Freeman said. “They’ll be able to just nominate someone that they see doing a random act, and hopefully we get a lot of them.”

“There’s so much bad in the world, it’s good to bring notice to those who do good in the world, particularly nowadays,” Cover said, citing the pandemic and the weather. “Putting people in situations they can’t get out of. Stuck indoors. Anything people can do to help those individuals out, we especially want to recognize.”

People will have the opportunity to thank someone for their thoughtfulness, whether they have braved the weather to do a necessary job or simply checked on a senior citizen, mowed their lawn or shoveled their driveway.

Freeman said local businesses are also welcome to sponsor gift cards.

Nominations will be open from Feb. 24 through March 17, and voting will occur from March 19-31. Nominees may be rewarded with a gift card to an area business and a donation in their name to a local charity.

People are encouraged to nominate any resident of Belmont, Jefferson, Monroe or Harrison counties. No self-nominations will be accepted.

For more information, contact Joe Lovell at 740-633-1131, ext. 769, or jlovell@theintelligencer.net.