Astoria Bank Kicks Off 16th Annual Kids Tools for School Drive

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., July 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Astoria Bank, Long Island's fourth largest bank by deposit market share and the second largest community bank headquartered in New York, today announced it will hold the 16th annual Kids Tools for School drive, beginning on August 1. The bank will collect school supplies and donations, at all branch locations, to purchase supplies for local families who struggle to afford these items as their children begin the new school year. 

Kids Tools for School distributes backpacks, notebooks, art supplies and other assorted materials to more than 60 local schools, shelters and human service organizations. As part of the program, Astoria Bank will match cash donations up to a total of $10,000. In 2014, donations for Kids Tools for School increased 30 percent compared to the previous year. Astoria Bank is looking to build on the program's success and to further expand its reach to thousands of local students.

"Children who go to school without the necessary supplies can be at a disadvantage, right from the start," said Brian Edwards, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Retail Banking. "We want all kids to have the best possible experience, and this program helps us to level the playing field by providing children with the tools they need."

Since its inception, the program has expanded greatly and evolved, largely through meaningful partnerships including those with the Girl Scouts organizations of both Nassau and Suffolk Counties and Village Office Supply, a local office supply company that volunteers its services for transporting and warehousing donated supplies.

"For families who are struggling financially, the need for school supplies can go unmet," said Edwards. "With the support of our customers and community, we're confident that we can continue to make a difference in the lives of many young people this year, right in the neighborhoods we serve."

Members of the community are encouraged to visit their local Astoria Bank branch to drop off supplies and cash donations. For more information on branch locations or accepted donations, please visit www.astoriabank.com.

About Astoria Financial CorporationAstoria Financial Corporation (NYSE: AF), with assets of $15.3 billion, is the holding company for Astoria Bank.  Established in 1888, Astoria Bank, with deposits in New York totaling $9.2 billion, is the second largest thrift depository in New York and provides its retail and business customers and local communities it serves with quality financial products and services through 87 convenient banking branch locations, a business banking office in Manhattan, and multiple delivery channels, including its flexible mobile banking app.  Astoria Bank commands a significant deposit market share in the attractive Long Island market, which includes Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties with a population exceeding that of 38 individual states.  Astoria Bank originates multi-family and commercial real estate loans, primarily on rent controlled and rent stabilized apartment buildings, located in New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area and originates residential mortgage loans through its banking and loan production offices in New York, a broker network in four states, primarily along the East Coast, and correspondent relationships covering 13 states and the District of Columbia.

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SOURCE Astoria Bank