Oritani Bank Announces a Successful Christmas in July

Township of Washington, NJ (November 3, 2014) – Oritani Bank hosted its annual “Christmas in July” children’s food drive from June 23rd through August 1st. All 25 Oritani Bank branches accepted donations for non-perishable food items, pet food and monetary donations. The items and money collected will be donated to the Center for Food Action (CFA), the Palisades Emergency Residence Corp. (PERC) and the Human Needs Food Pantry, Inc. (HNFP), three of the leading providers of emergency food aid to children in northern New Jersey. This year, Oritani Bank branches collected 725 bags of food, $2,160 in cash and $225 in grocery store gift cards collectively.

1 in 6 people in the United States face hunger. Approximately 17 million children in the United States are at risk of hunger and 27% of New Jersey’s children live in low-income neighborhoods. Many Americans are unaware of the vast amount of hunger in the U.S., but it is not too late to help. Donating locally can keep a child from going hungry and even better, save a life.

“We could not be happier with the results of this year’s abundance of generosity throughout the community,” said Kevin J. Lynch, Chairman, President and CEO of Oritani Bank and President of the OritaniBank Charitable Foundation. “Oritani Bank has held this food drive for more than 20 years. It is wonderful to see how people immediately extend themselves toward helping all members of a family so that no one, not even the pets, go hungry. Oritani Bank is a proud supporter of community food banks and our annual Christmas in July event to promote awareness and supply food for the hungry. The OritaniBank Charitable Foundation will again help to support this event by matching all cash funds donated to the food drive.”

“Families within the community will not have to worry about keeping their children full or pets fed due to the healthy groceries donated to the food bank,” said Patricia Espy, Center for Food Action Executive Director. “This year, Oritani’s food drive allowed CFA to provide far more than last years donation of nutritious food packages to families. We are very thankful for Oritani Bank and its supportive customers that have helped to achieve a great donation in the fight against hunger.” The non-profit organization provides emergency food packages, rental and utility assistance, counseling, advocacy and other essential services to those in need in northern New Jersey. For more information, visit www.cfanj.org.

Branches located in Bergen County collected food for the Center for Food Action. Based in Englewood, the CFA was founded in 1976 to prevent hunger and homelessness. The CFA annually provides seven-day emergency food packages to more than 250,000 children, 7% of whom are under the age of three.

Oritani’s Hudson County branches supported the Palisades Emergency Residence Corp (PERC). Founded in 1981, PERC offers emergency shelter to individuals and families, and permanent housing for the chronically homeless. In addition, it also offers a soup kitchen and food pantry, an after-school program for low-income children, advocacy and educational and support services. In 2010, the Union City-based non-profit provided more than 72,000 meals and 2,100 grocery boxes through its soup kitchen and food pantry. To learn more, go to www.percshelter.org

In addition, food and donations collected at Oritani’s branches in Upper Montclair and Clifton will be donated to the Human Needs Food Pantry (HNFP). It provides food, clothing and other services to residents of Montclair and neighboring communities. The Human Needs Food Pantry was established in 1982 by the First Baptist Church of Montclair and later incorporated as an independent non-profit organization.

About OritaniBank Charitable Foundation:

Oritani Bank established the OritaniBank Charitable Foundation in 2007 to assist not-for-profit organizations that help to improve the quality of life for area residents, especially those members of its communities most in need. Since its inception, the Foundation has donated more than $4 million to local charitable organizations, primarily in support of education, health and human services, youth programs and affordable housing.

About Oritani Bank:

Oritani Bank is a 103-year-old community bank with 25 branches and more than $3 billion in assets, based in the Township of Washington, New Jersey. Oritani Bank is a publicly held company trading on the NASDAQ with the trading symbol “ORIT.” Oritani Bank offers a full line of deposit and loan services to both retail and commercial customers. For more information, call 888-ORITANI, or visit its website, www.oritani.com.

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Photos Courtesy of Oritani Bank

Saddle Brook: L-R: Keisha Espy from Oritani Bank’s Paterson branch, Patricia Espy, Executive Director of CFA and Evelyn Gonzalez from Oritani Bank’s Paterson branch.