Local banks join forces for school supply drive

SAUGUS – For the second year, Saugusbank will be collecting school supplies for the children at the BridgeHouse Family Shelter in Lynn; only this time it will get a boost from North Shore Bank, its soon-to-be owner.”I would expect we’ll have an incredibly good yield this time,” said David Munroe, director of marketing at Saugusbank.Although the merger will not be finalized until next month, Munroe explained that his company still wanted to include the eight branches of North Shore Bank in the effort to help the less fortunate families in the Greater Lynn area.”It seemed like a good thing to get the two banks together,” he said. “This was something that just made a lot of sense.”Munroe added that North Shore Bank has always been deeply involved in the communities it serves. Therefore, he said that its officers were “really enthused” when Saugusbank asked them to join its school supply drive this year.”This was really right in their wheelhouse,” said Munroe.He said that the drive was originally proposed by Carol Varone, manager of Saugusbank’s Lynn Fells office, after she read a BridgeHouse post on Facebook requesting school supplies.”That was the genesis of it,” said Munroe.He pointed out that the number of supplies donated last year filled two sport utility vehicles to capacity.Munroe added that BridgeHouse, home to at least 75 children, has always been “really appreciative” of the bank’s donations.Luz Vasquez, stabilization case manager at BridgeHouse, explained that back to school time can be quite difficult as several families at the shelter have little to no income.”When school season comes, it’s a big deal,” she said.Although BridgeHouse receives an abundance of backpacks each year, Vasquez said that they could also use more crayons, colored pencils and supplies for older students.”Every little bit counts,” she said.Items for elementary school students include glue sticks, backpacks, folders and scissors. Middle and high school students are in need of calculators, composition books, rulers and highlighters.All locations at both banks will be participating in the drive, which runs until Aug. 25.A list of Saugusbank locations are available at https://www.saugusbank.com/customer-support/locations-hours.html.A list of North Shore Bank locations are available at https://www.northshore-bank.com/default.