Trustco donates $13.5K to Catholic Charities

Trustco Bank made a generous donation of $13,500 to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany this week in support of its COVID-19 relief efforts and their other community initiatives.

J.R. George, administrative vice president at Trustco Bank, presented the check to Michael Lawler, CFO/COO of Catholic Charities, on Wednesday, Feb. 3, on the front lawn of St. Peter's Residence and Annex in Troy.

While it was a chilly day to host an event outside, Lawler wasn’t bothered by the cold at all: “This gift will warm me right up,” he said. 

“It means the world to us,” Lawler added. “To solve the problems of our community, we need partners, and partners like Trustco are providing us with the opportunity to continue to give people PPE’s that they need, to continue to keep our programs running, and investments in dealing with housing issues.”

The donation will be distributed in the following ways throughout Catholic Charities' programs: 

$2,000 to the COVID-19 Relief Fund; $2,500 to Hope for the Homeless, an annual fundraising breakfast to end homelessness that benefits Catholic Charities Housing programs; $4,000 to Camp Scully, a day time and residential camp for inner-city youth; and $5,000 to A Place at the Table, a fundraising event that supports the five Outreach Programs of Catholic Charities Tri-County Services. 

Last March, George noted that Trustco Bank “really started to see (the need) change shape” in the area. “Really housing and food. Those are really the two biggest things so far.” George added that given Trustco’s long-standing relationship with Catholic Charities it “just made sense” to invest in an agency that has already helped over 100,000 residents during the pandemic through food drives and its COVID-19 relief fund. 

“It’s a huge investment for us,” Lawler said. “The need for emergency assistance and good housing has been just astronomical.”

Almost a year into the pandemic and the need for housing, food, and community programs are still as high as when COVID-19 started spreading. But while residents' needs have continued to climb, fortunately, so have the generous donations and selfless volunteers stepping up to help their community. 

“People have stepped up in so many ways it's really quite inspiring to see how they've done it,” Lawler said. “Early on in the pandemic, when people got their check from the federal government, they turned it right over to us and said, ‘I don't need this money, you need it for COVID relief.’ ”

Even today, support is still going strong: “Somebody just sent a little envelope with a $10,000 check to us,” Lawler said. “No note other than a check to Catholic Charities. It’s awe-inspiring for us.”