Generations Bank, FHLBNY grants help five area nonprofits

SENECA FALLS — Five nonprofit organizations in Union Springs are using grant funding from Seneca Falls–based Generations Bank. The bank announced it secured $50,000 in grant money from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY). The five grant recipients are the Springport Free Library, Frontenac Historical Society, Western Cayuga County Food Pantry, Union Springs Volunteer Fire Department, and the Finger Lakes Region Lions Hearing Foundation. AG Cutrona, senior VP – chief banking officer at Generations Bank, applied for the FHLBNY grant on behalf of the nonprofits. “Generations is committed to giving back to the communities that we serve,” Cutrona said in a news release. “We are grateful to the local not-for-profit organizations that work so hard to give back to the Union Springs Community. These grants will have a lasting impact on the organizations receiving the funding and get them off to a positive start to the New Year.” Tom Settino, VP of member relations at FHLBNY, had made Cutrona aware of the funding and application process, Generations Bank noted. Union Springs Mayor Robert Thurston, Jr. also provided “direction, support, and responsiveness” during the grant process. “I can’t thank the team at Generations Bank enough for all their hard work to make this grant a dream come true for our community,” Thurston said in the Generations Bank release. “The funding that we were able to secure together will provide a huge relief to our community not-for-profits that work so hard every day to take care of our community. We look forward to working with Generations Bank in the future to help our community grow and prosper.” Using the grant funding The Springport Free Library will use its funding to improve its young child reading program area with new materials, area remodeling, and new furniture, Generations Bank said. The Frontenac Historical Society recently had to pay for a major boiler replacement. Its grant funding will help offset the purchase of the new boiler. The Western Cayuga County Food Pantry will use its grant to purchase food and paper products for families and the elderly who are dealing with “food insecurity.” The funding for the Union Springs Volunteer Fire Department will offset its recent purchase of a new emergency tracked utility terrain vehicle (UTV) that will help the department respond to emergencies in remote areas. The Finger Lakes Region Lions Hearing Foundation, established in 1985, collects used hearing aids to refurbish and give to hearing impaired individuals in need. They will use the grant money to work on the hearing aids. About the institutions Founded in 1870 and headquartered in Seneca Falls, Generations Bank operates retail branches in Seneca Falls, Auburn, Union Springs, Waterloo, Geneva, Phelps, Farmington, and Medina. Besides business and consumer deposit services, Generations offers residential mortgages, along with manufactured home, automobile, home equity, commercial, non-residential real estate, and construction loans. The FHLBNY helps community lenders advance housing and community growth in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FHLBNY is part of the congressionally chartered, nationwide Federal Home Loan Bank System and increases the availability of mortgages and home finance to families of all income levels by assisting members in more effectively serving their neighborhoods and meeting their Community Reinvestment Act responsibilities.