LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Astoria Federal Savings is working to ensure that local children are prepared for the first day of school with adequate school supplies, through its 9th annual Kids Tools for School collection drive. Thousands of area children are unable to purchase supplies on their own and come to school without the basic tools they need to succeed. Astoria Federal is asking for the public's support to erase this problem by participating in the Kids Tools for School collection drive at their local Astoria Federal branches.

This community program puts new school supplies in the hands of those children least able to afford them, including hundreds of homeless children. Astoria Federal has once again teamed up with various schools and organizations to distribute the supplies before school starts in September.

Astoria Federal welcomes involvement from the community. New school supplies, or cash donations, can be dropped off at any neighborhood Astoria Federal branch throughout Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester between August 1 and August 31. Astoria Federal is committed to "Putting people first" in the neighborhoods it serves, and will match up to $10,000 in cash donations to purchase supplies in bulk.

"The first day of school should be exciting for children, and no child should have to worry about having basic school supplies," said Astoria Federal Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing Brian Edwards. "We recognize the financial burden many families face as they send their children back to school. Astoria Federal is pitching in to help children in need in our communities." Over the past nine years, he noted, Astoria Federal has distributed more than nine tons of school supplies. "It's great to see the smiles on the faces of these children as they receive their very own backpacks filled with supplies."

Astoria Federal is proud of the support it has received this year from their many program partners including: WLIW21, The Long Island Railroad, Newsday's Parents & Children Magazine, The Long Island Radio Group, The Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Anton

Community Newspapers, Herald Community Newspapers, The Queens Courier, The Garden City News, Long Island Press, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Queens Chamber of Commerce, BJM Promotions, Inc. and OST Group, Inc.

The Kids Tools for School Collection Drive is part of Astoria Federal's Education First initiative, which includes the Student Savers and Bank-at-School programs, as well as The First Home Club(TM) to promote homeownership. These programs and others were all designed to encourage lifelong learning in the communities Astoria Federal serves. For additional information about Astoria Federal's Kids Tools for School collection drive visit www.astoriafederal.com.

Astoria Financial Corporation, with assets of $21.6 billion, is the holding company for Astoria Federal Savings and Loan Association. Established in 1888, Astoria Federal, with deposits in New York totaling $13.1 billion, is the largest thrift depository headquartered in New York and embraces its philosophy of "Putting people first" by providing the customers and local communities it serves with quality financial products and services through 85 convenient banking office locations and multiple delivery channels, including its enhanced website, www.astoriafederal.com. Astoria Federal commands the fourth largest 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 Federal originates mortgage loans through its banking offices and loan production offices in New York, an extensive broker network covering twenty-two states, primarily the East Coast, and the District of Columbia, and through correspondent relationships covering twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia.

SOURCE Astoria Federal Savings