TopLine Employees and Members Help Kids Start the School Year Off Right With Donations of Nearly 1,300 School Supply Items

MAPLE GROVE, MN--(Marketwired - August 27, 2014) - During the months of July and August, the Community Emergency Assistance Programs (CEAP) and Keystone Community Services benefited by receiving donations from TopLine Federal Credit Union's 11th Annual Back-to-School Supply Drive. TopLine employees and members donated nearly 1,300 items to help students start the school year off right.

Last year, CEAP distributed school supplies to over 850 children in grades K-8 in northwestern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties. Keystone community services collected a record number of items, making it possible to fill over 264 brand-new backpacks for children in St. Paul. The supplies in greatest need were backpacks, notebooks, pocket folders, pencils, pens, crayons, pencil boxes, glue, markers, watercolors, rulers and scissors.

TopLine employees were recognized for their charitable back-to-school donations by being able to wear jeans to work on specific days during the four-week program.

"We are privileged to participate with local non-profit organizations like CEAP and Keystone in a number of ways, and the school supply drive is an example of the generosity shown by our employees and members by helping families in need send their kids back to school with the much needed supplies for a successful year," says Tom Smith, TopLine President and CEO.

CEAP (Community Emergency Assistance Program), 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. CEAP's Clothing Closet is where families in need can shop for donated, gently used clothing. The Closet is a free service, available January through November, to all Minnesota residents. Visit www.CEAP.com to learn more.

Keystone Community Services, named for the strong connecting stone at the center of an arch, is a community-based volunteer organization in St. Paul, Minnesota that helps thousands of low-income individuals and families in the East Metro Area. The organization's programs include food shelves, a support program for Hmong youth and their families, and a comprehensive program for seniors. Keystone's mission is to strengthen the capacity of individuals and families to improve their quality of life. Learn more at http://www.keystoneservices.org. 

TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based credit union, is Minnesota's 13^th largest, with assets of more than $350 million. 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.

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