Pictured L-R: Lee Schlesinger, Executive Director, Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury; Captain Brian Merchant, Salvation Army Emergency Shelter for Families; Paul Ladarola, Executive Director, St. Vincent De Paul Mission of Waterbury; Arlene Greco, Director of Development, Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence Services; Ann Marino, Loan Originator, Liberty Bank

LIBERTY BANK DONATES $2,000 TO AID HOMELESS PEOPLE IN NAUGATUCK VALLEY

NAUGATUCK VALLEY, CT — Four agencies serving homeless people in the Naugatuck Valley have received a total of $2,000 in grants from Liberty Bank’s annual Giving Circle program.

• Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence Services, Ansonia, operated by BH Care
• Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury
• Salvation Army Emergency Shelter for Families, Waterbury
• St. Vincent De Paul Mission of Waterbury

Liberty’s Giving Circle program sets aside $100 for every mortgage application received by the bank during April and May, and then donates the accumulated funds to 28 local agencies that provide emergency or transitional housing for homeless families and individuals. With the distribution of $40,000 from this year’s Giving Circle, the total donated under the program since its inception in 1994 rose to almost $540,000.

“This program makes a connection between people who are celebrating the purchase of a home, and people who are experiencing homelessness,” said Ann Marino, Liberty Bank’s mortgage loan officer for the Naugatuck Valley area. “Our mortgage customers can feel even better about their new homes, knowing that they’ve helped some neighbors who are going through difficult times in their lives.”

Pictured L-R: Arlene Greco, Sue Murphy, and Paul Ladarola

Giving Circle funds were also granted to the following nonprofit organizations:

Hartford County:

• Friendship Service Center, New Britain
• Prudence Crandall Center, New Britain
• Salvation Army Shelter, New Britain
• St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Bristol, Inc., Bristol

Meriden/Wallingford:

• Shelter NOW, operated by New Opportunities, Inc., Meriden
• Columbus House/Wallingford Emergency Shelter, Wallingford

Middletown:

• Eddy Shelter, operated by The Connection, Inc.
• Middlesex Family Shelter, operated by Columbus House
• New Horizons Domestic Violence Shelter

New Haven:

• Christian Community Action
• Columbus House
• Emergency Shelter Management Services
• Liberty Community Services
• New Reach, Inc.

New London County:

• Bethsaida Community, Norwich
• Covenant Shelter of New London
• TVCCA, Norwich
• Martin House, Norwich
• Mystic Area Shelter and Hospitality, Mystic
• New London Homeless Hospitality Center, New London
• Safe Futures, New London
• Thames River Family Program, operated by Thames River Community Service, Norwich

Willimantic:

• Holy Family Home and Shelter
• Windham Regional No-Freeze Hospitality Center

Established in 1825, Liberty Bank is Connecticut’s oldest mutual bank, with $4.4 billion in assets and 55 banking offices throughout the central, eastern, and shoreline areas of the state. As a full-service financial institution, Liberty offers consumer and commercial banking, home mortgages, insurance, and investment services. Named as a “Top Workplace” by the Hartford Courant for four consecutive years, Liberty maintains a longstanding commitment to superior personal service and unparalleled community involvement.