TopLine FCU Helps Youth Prepare for Back to School

MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TopLine Federal Credit Union’s 18th Annual School Supply Drive benefited local non-profits, Avenues for Youth, Community Emergency Assistance Programs (CEAP) and Keystone Community Services. TopLine members and employees generously donated a variety of school supplies including notebooks, folders binders, pencils, crayons, calculators, flash drives, backpacks and more to help youth in our communities get ready for the new school year.

Employees participated by donating school supply items and money in exchange for a “Foundation Fridays/Saturdays” sticker, allowing them to wear jeans to work on specific days during the six-week program. TopLine employees and members could also purchase items from our Amazon Wish List and Target Registry and have them delivered directly to TopLine, and in return we delivered to our charitable partners. When the drive ended TopLine employees and members had donated over 1,800 school supply items, nearly 100 backpacks and over $900 in cash to assist local youth in need.

“With the help of generous donations from our members and employees, we were able to help provide some stability to kick-off the school year for students, says Tom Smith, TopLine President and CEO. We collected all types of school supplies and distributed these to our local non-profit partners to help kids have a successful learning experience.“

Since 2002, TopLine Federal Credit Union employees and members have been involved in several programs each year to benefit Avenues for Youth, Community Emergency Assistance Programs (CEAP) and Keystone Community Services. In addition to the annual school supply drive these efforts have included drives for food, personal care items, books, and holiday gifts.

Avenues for Youth provides emergency shelter, short-term housing and supportive services for homeless youth in a safe and nurturing environment. There are over 6,000 homeless youth in Minnesota each night. Avenues shelters in Brooklyn Park and Minneapolis help over 300 youth. Visit www.avenuesforyouth.org to learn more.

CEAP (Community Emergency Assistance Programs), serving Hennepin and Anoka Counties, is a community-based, non-profit agency that partners with other resources to assist people in need. The mission of CEAP is to stabilize individuals and families in financial distress and to maximize their ability to live independently and with dignity. Visit www.CEAP.org to learn more.

Keystone Community Services is a community-based volunteer organization in St. Paul that helps thousands of low-income individuals and families in the East Metro Area. Keystone’s mission is to strengthen the capacity of individual and families to improve their quality of life. Visit www.keystoneservices.org to learn more.

TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based credit union, is Minnesota’s 13th largest, with assets of more than $620 million and serves nearly 46,000 members. Established in 1935, the not-for-profit cooperative offers a complete line of financial services, as well as auto and home insurance, from its five branch locations — in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Plymouth and in St. Paul’s Como Park — as well as by phone, mobile app and online at www.TopLinecu.com. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington Counties and their immediate family members. To learn more about the credit union’s foundation, visit https://www.toplinecu.com/foundation