SJCS named 2009 Champion in Action in area of Hunger
Citizens Bank and WMUR-TV to provide $25,000 grant, PR and volunteer support

Citizens Bank New Hampshire and WMUR-TV have named St. Joseph Community Services as their 2009 fourth quarter Champion in Action® in the area of hunger. As part of the award, the organization will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support for its dedication to providing nutritious meals, health education, and social interaction opportunities for seniors and disabled adults throughout Hillsborough County.
“Citizens Bank is pleased to join WMUR-TV in naming St. Joseph Community Services as the newest Champion in Action,” said Cathleen A. Schmidt, President, Citizens Bank, New Hampshire. “By providing financial, marketing, and volunteer support, we can assist this Champion in advancing its programs and services. St. Joseph Community Services and its Meals on Wheels program offer a nutritious meal each day and a friendly safety check for their clients. We congratulate the organization’s efforts, and we are proud to contribute to its success.”
The Champions in Action program is designed to recognize and support nonprofit organizations for their contributions to New Hampshire communities. A new Champion in Action is selected each quarter among a range of social service areas.
“Sharing in this initiative with Citizens Bank continues to be a source of great pride,” said Jeff Bartlett, General Manager of WMUR-TV. “We are very pleased to help out organizations across the state that demonstrate such a strong commitment to making a difference in the lives of so many New Hampshire residents. They truly are champions.”
With its 12 sites and seven satellite locations, St. Joseph Community Services provides meals at community dining centers as well as through their Meals on Wheels program. Without these programs some of their clients would have to choose between purchasing food or paying for other basic needs such as heat, medicine, or rent. St. Joseph Community Services served 420,000 meals last year. Currently 1,650 meals are served everyday – 200 more per day than the prior year, and although there has been an unprecedented surge in need, they have been able to avoid implementing a waiting list.
“The knock on each client’s door is the very heart of our program,” said Meghan Brady, President of St. Joseph Community Services. “Our drivers not only provide a nutritious meal, a smile, and a safety check: they also bring peace of mind for our clients and their families.”
According to Brady, St. Joseph Community Services’ dedicated staff and volunteers deliver food and friendship to their clients, who often are the most vulnerable and isolated members in our communities.
“Our caring staff and volunteers bring a meal, and a friendly visit every day,” added Brady. “Everyone is very proud of our 32-year history of enriching lives with a warm meal, social connection and independence.”
As a Champion in Action, St. Joseph Community Services will receive:
• A $25,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from the Citizens Bank Foundation.
• Media coverage from WMUR-TV, including public service announcements and television profiles.
• Volunteer support from Citizens and WMUR-TV employees.
• Extensive public relations support.
• Promotional support, highlighting the current “Champion in Action” in all Citizens Bank branches and on its ATMs.
• Exposure on both Citizens Bank and WMUR-TV Web sites.
“We are honored to be recognized by Citizens Bank and WMUR as a Champion in Action,” said Brady. “This award will enable us to reach more people in need, offering a healthy meal, as well as other elder support services. We are confident this will help improve their quality of life.”
A nonprofit organization focusing on workforce development will be named for the first quarter Champion in Action in January 2010.
For more information about the Champions in Action program, visit www.citizensbank.com or www.TheWMURChannel.com. To learn more about St. Joseph Community Services visit www.mealsonwheelsnh.org or call (603) 424-9967. St. Joseph Community Services is located at 395 Daniel Webster Highway, P.O. Box 910, Merrimack, NH.
About Citizens Bank:
Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 77 branches and 155 ATMs in New Hampshire.
RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $153 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG’s two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. It is one of the 10 largest commercial banking companies in the United States ranked by assets as of June 30, 2009. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). CFG’s Web site is citizensbank.com.
About WMUR-TV:
WMUR-TV (Ch. 9) is an ABC-TV affiliate headquartered in Manchester, N.H., and is owned and managed by Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc., one of the nation’s largest television station groups. WMUR-TV is New Hampshire’s largest commercial TV station, reaching more than a million people. Founded in 1954, the station’s news, feature and sports coverage has won numerous awards for professional and journalistic excellence. WMUR-TV is considered the broadcast news source of record for New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary election. WMUR-TV provides online news and information at www.WMUR.com.
