Illinois Credit Union League, Naperville, Ill., and staff provided toys for the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation. The toy drive was one of several charitable actions carried out by ICUL in 2012, which included its annual food drive, blood donation drives, monthly jeans-days fundraising and direct financial donations to food pantries and soup kitchens throughout the state. The WCPF works closely with the Illinois Department of Family Services to ensure that the neediest children in the state of Illinois receive these gifts.  Each year, the foundation provides for approximately 14,000 children. 

Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union, Lowell, Mass., announce that their members and employees were able to donate hundreds of new, unwrapped toys to this year's U.S. Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots drive. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserves sponsors Toys for Tots to help less fortunate children experience the joys of the holiday season by delivering, through a new toy, a message of hope and inspiration. Since its inception in 1947, Toys for Tots has distributed more than 452 million toys to more than 209 million children.

Kinecta Federal Credit Union,  Manhattan Beach, Calif., held its annual holiday food drive distribution event. Over 1,000 local families identified by participating community-based organizations as those in need over the holiday season received a bag of traditional Thanksgiving food items, along with a $75 gift certificate, courtesy of  Kinecta Federal Credit Union.  This annual event is an opportunity for employees of Kinecta Federal Credit Union and its subsidiary Nix Financial to collaborate with more than 35 nonprofit organizations and churches on a countywide effort to provide temporary relief to  needy families. More than $53,000 was raised through member, employee and customer donations.

LBS Financial Credit Union in Lakewood, Calif., and their employees donated hundreds of toys, gifts and basic care items to the children, parents and seniors served by Project Shepherd in Lakewood. The donations were collected during the credit union's annual holiday breakfast in December.  LBS Financial hosts an employee holiday breakfast at an offsite location. The employee holiday breakfast committee selected Project Shepherd for this year's employee gift donation. About 175 LBS Financial employees attended this year's breakfast and many brought more than one gift. 

NuVision Federal Credit Union, Huntington Beach, Calif., supported many charitable organizations throughout Southern California last holiday season. NuVision branches in Los Angeles and Orange Counties once again served as collection sites for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. NuVision members and employees donated over 10 bins of new toys to be distributed as gifts to needy children in the community. This was the seventh year NuVision has participated in the Toys for Tots program. NuVision employees also fulfilled the holiday wish lists of a number of local military families last holiday through Spouse2Spouse, a peer support program designed to enhance and empower military spouses. In addition, this week NuVision's Board of Directors presented checks for $2,500 each to Project Self Sufficiency, a Huntington Beach-based program that assists low-income, single parents in achieving economic independence, and The California Paralyzed Veterans Association, which is dedicated to providing resources to enhance the lives of paralyzed veterans in our community. 

Service Credit Union, Portsmouth, N.H., partnered with the United States Marine Corps and WERZ/Clear Channel for the Toys for Tots 10th annual stuff-a-bus event recently at the Fox Run Mall in Newington. As the title sponsor, Service Credit Union delivered $3,000 worth of unwrapped toys on behalf of the credit union during the three-day event. Plus, the credit union held a Toys for Tots campaign at each of its New Hampshire branches, which collected $7,000 worth of toys.

 Service Credit Union, Portsmouth, N.H., helped feed thousands for the holiday season. Barbara Roberge, Service Credit Union board of directors chair, presented a check for $15,000 to N.H. Food Bank Executive Director Melanie Gosselin to help keep the shelves well stocked. Service Credit Union has made a donation to the food bank for seven straight years to assist the agency during its critical times of need. The contribution could not have come at better time as New Hampshire Food Bank officials describe this year's demand for food as one of most severe in years. In addition to the monetary donation, Service Credit Union delivered nonperishable items weighing close to 1,500 pounds that were collected during the credit union's food for families canned food drive. 

Southern Tier Credit Union Alliance, Binghamton, N.Y., donated pet food and supplies to the Broome County Humane Society. Donations were collected at the alliance's annual holiday dinner. The donations were made in memory of Jack Houseknecht, a senior executive of Visions Federal Credit Union, who passed away Oct. 2, 2012. The Southern Tier Credit Union Alliance is composed of Chen-Del-O FCU, Empower FCU, GHS FCU, Horizons FCU, SEFCU, Sidney FCU, UHS Employees FCU and Visions FCU.