Contact: Eileen Spath
eileen.spath@ccrcda.org | (518) 935-8774

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 17, 2020

KeyBank Announces Major Donation for Catholic Charities’ Covid Relief

KeyBank commits $20,000 to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany’s COVID Relief Fund to support Capital Region residents in need during the Holiday Season and winter months.

Albany, NY – As COVID-19 cases increase across the Capital Region, non-profits like Catholic Charities are seeing more and more people in need of support.

“People are in need right now,” said Vincent W. Colonno, CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany. “Our neighbors are coming to us for rental assistance, for domestic violence services and even for their next meal. It’s no secret that our resources are being stretched thin.”

KeyBank is stepping up with much-needed support. Today, KeyBank announced a major donation of $20,000 to the organization’s COVID-19 Relief Fund, which is designated to support residents of the Albany Diocese who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns.

“We all realize the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on the Capital Region, and we are committed to helping the region recover and move forward,” said Ruth Mahoney, Capital Region President, KeyBank. “We are proud to partner with Catholic Charities in support of their regional reach and impactful programming that continues to deliver life sustaining and life enhancing services to those that need it most during these times.”

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany is one of the largest non-profits in the region and is providing support and relief to residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through services that include rental assistance, domestic violence programs, nutritional support and overdose prevention. Across these services need has increased:

• In the tri-county area (Albany/Schenectady/Rensselaer), requests for emergency and rental assistance are on the rise. In October, Catholic Charities provided $2,100 in emergency funding. They have distributed over $5,000 in December with two weeks remaining in the month.
• Catholic Charities’ domestic violence shelters are at high- or max-capacity with few exceptions. As COVID-19 cases increase, calls for assistance remain high.
• Catholic Charities has increased its food distributions tenfold– from one to 10 each month – to address food insecurity that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.
• The number of individuals accessing treatment for substance abuse and dependency through Catholic Charities each week has increased by 60% as people report relapsing in recent months due to increased stress, isolation and mental health needs.

“We’re experiencing a very high volume of need and our resources have remained largely unchanged,” said Colonno, CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany, “We’re thrilled to be working alongside KeyBank in our efforts to support the community through this difficult time. This donation will go a long way to help a furloughed worker pay rent, a person in recovery stay sober or a single parent keep food on the table and the heat running through the winter.”

About Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany is one of the largest, private social services organizations in the region. Serving 14 counties around the Capital District across some 10,000 square miles, Catholic Charities serves and empowers all persons in need, regardless of race, creed, religion, or lifestyle, as well as advocates for a just society and collaborates with women and men of good will. Last year, more than 103,000 people turned to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany for assistance. Through the generous support of donors and the community, we are able to assist the poor and vulnerable with housing, food, emergency assistance, disabilities services, senior services, and much more.

About KeyCorp
KeyCorp's roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $170.5 billion at September 30, 2020.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of more than 1,000 branches and approximately 1,400 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

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