Our Mission
To provide quality financial solutions and world class service to our members, while delivering our social commitment in the communities we serve.
Our Core Values
Member Focused - We ensure our members are the first priority.
Community Action - We provide social responsibility to our communities.
Collaborative - We foster teamwork as we explore new opportunities, solve problems and ensure that we exceed member expectations as we stay true to our mission.
Employees - We value the contributions our employees make to our organizational family.
Diverse and Inclusive - We support diversity and inclusion in a respectful manner across all activities.
Accountability - We take responsibility for our work; we take the extra step and take ownership of all member and non-member concerns.
Results - We deliver a successful and compliant business model for our employees, members and our communities.
Our History
It was on June 20, 1940, that the organization we now call First Harvest Credit Union was chartered and established to serve the employees of the former New York Shipbuilding Corporation. The credit union was known in the forties as IUMSWA Federal Credit Union, for the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America.
The name was modernized in 1955 to Shipbuilders Federal Credit Union, giving the credit union its much-desired individual identity. The New York Shipbuilding Corporation closed its doors for good in 1967 and long-time treasurer-manager, George Morhauser, died. Membership declined and the future direction of the credit union was in question.
In 1972, the tide began to turn when the employees of South Jersey Port Corporation were added to the membership, bringing new life to the credit union. In 1973 the name was again changed to South Jersey Maritime Federal Credit Union, reflecting a more open membership. Benjamin T. Griffith became the credit union’s manager in 1974, a position he would hold for over 40 years. Soon after, in 1975, the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) and PATCO employees were added, and the course of the credit union would be altered for good. The name was changed in 1979 to South Jersey Federal Credit Union. In the years that followed, mergers with other credit unions and charter changes brought a large number of new members and employee groups.
In June 2021, the credit union’s name was changed to First Harvest Credit Union. Today, First Harvest Credit Union is a diverse, full-service financial institution serving more than 43,000 members and over 700 employee groups throughout South Jersey. From its original roots in Camden County, the credit union has expanded its presence all the way to the Jersey Shore. Eight full-service locations in New Jersey include the main office in Deptford, along with branches in Camden, Glassboro, Pleasantville, Voorhees, Mt. Laurel and Vineland. In addition, we service our members in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.