Citizens Bank collects school supplies

Starting Monday, Citizens Bank will collect new school supplies for its Gear for Grades initiative, an effort to help local children go back to school with the gear they need to learn.

New pencils, folders, glue, notebooks and other supplies can be donated at any Citizens Bank branch in New York through Aug. 6. Some 4,000 children statewide will receive new backpacks and school supplies. This year, more than 27,000 backpacks filled with new school supplies will be distributed to children across the Citizens Financial Group footprint.

Locally, Citizens Bank is partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rochester to distribute the filled backpacks.