WATERBURY , Conn. , January 24, 2011 — Webster Bank gave $143,000 to help feed the hungry in the fourth quarter of 2010. And in December, its employees completed their annual “Making a Difference” food drive, collecting almost eight tons of donated items.
“Giving a helping hand to those in our community who cannot afford to put food on the table is one of the core missions of Webster's Community Affairs Program,” said Kathy Luria, vice president, community affairs. “The food banks and soup kitchens in our communities continue to experience higher than normal requests for their services — and when they are in need, we find a way to respond.”
More than 35 organizations that feed the hungry in Connecticut , Massachusetts , Rhode Island and New York received donations from Webster in the fourth quarter, including local food pantries and shelters, soup kitchens and statewide food banks.
The “Making a Difference” food drive, which collected donations at Webster branches and offices, lasted five weeks, wrapping up just before Christmas. Webster's Customer Care Center in Wallingford , Conn. , collected 2,300 items after seven teams of employees struck up a friendly rivalry to see who could collect the most food. The result was a 40 percent increase over what the Customer Care Center collected last year.
About Webster
Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS) is the holding company for Webster Bank. With $17.8 billion in assets, Webster provides business and consumer banking, mortgage, financial planning, trust and investment services through 181 banking offices, 497 ATMs, mobile banking, the Customer Care Center , and the Internet. Webster Bank owns the asset-based lending firm Webster Business Credit Corporation, and the equipment finance firm Webster Capital Finance, and provides health savings account, trustee and administrative services through HSA Bank, a division of Webster Bank. Member FDIC and equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including past press releases and the latest annual report, visit Webster's website at http://www.websterbank.com/.
Media Contact:
Kathy Luria, Vice President, Community Affairs
203-578-2396, mailto:kluria@websterbank.com