During the month of April, Salem Seaport was part of a team of credit unions in Massachusetts that collected and distributed books to non-profit organizations throughout the commonwealth as a part of Children’s Book Drive Month.

Thanks to the generous donations or our staff, members and other concerned citizens we were able to collect a total of 293 books to provide young people in need with educational and fun-filled reading materials.

We’d like to thank everyone for their efforts in this endeavor and we look forward to collecting even more books next year!

Last year, 44 Massachusetts credit unions collected nearly 15,000 books and distributed them to many non-profit organizations throughout the commonwealth. Since 2001, more than 240,000 books have been donated. Help us contribute to this worthy cause by bringing your new or used books to the credit union's branch on Lafayette Street. And spread the word to others. Let's see how many children's books we can collect.

Don't forget to come out and support Salem State University and their Think Pink fundraising efforts to eradicate breast cancer. All monies raised will be donated to the North Shore Medical Center for Cancer Research. Stop by these upcoming events to make a donation:

• Basketball (Men's and Women's), February 5 vs. Framingham State
• Ice Hockey, (Cheerleaders), February 7 vs. UMass Dartmouth

Throughout the month of January Salem Seaport Credit Union will be collecting blankets for the Mass Coalition for the Homeless. Last year, 16 credit unions, including Salem Seaport, collected more than 500 blankets for the homeless. We need your help to provide warmth and comfort to the less fortunate. We invite you to bring a donation (new blankets only, please) to our Lafayette Street office to help make 2013 a brighter year for those in need.