STATESBORO—With Georgia being ranked No. 7 in the nation for identity theft by the Federal Trade Commission, more Georgia businesses and residents are shredding confidential documents before trashing. HeritageBank of the South and UltraShred Technologies are partnering to bring a free shred day for east Georgia. Bring all confidential documents such as last year’s tax records to be shredded and recycled.

The 2011 Community Shred-A-Thon is free to the public and will be held April 16 from 9 a.m.-noon in the parking lot of HeritageBank of the South’s Statesboro North branch located at 726 Northside Dr. It is free and open to the public.

“This will be the first time we have hosted a Shred-A-Thon in Statesboro,” said Mary Beth Hobby, marketing director for HeritageBank of the South. “We are thrilled to be a part of the community and its sister cities of Springfield and Reidsville. What better way to say ‘thank you’ than hosting a free community shred day. It’s a great way to give back.”

In addition to the Statesboro event, HeritageBank of the South is hosting two additional Shred-A-Thons in Albany and Adel the same Saturday. This will be the fourth year for the Albany community and the first year for the Adel community.

Last year in Albany, HeritageBank shredded 10,500 pound of paper. The bank plans to continue to grow their annual Free Community Shred-A-Thon into the new markets they serve.

“UltraShred Technologies has excelled in providing shredding services for corporate, small business and residential customers since 2000,” said owner Margaret Meier. “Our mission is to maintain the highest standards of security and integrity as we help protect the privacy of our clients’ information.”

For more information on UltraShred Technologies and the services they provide, visit ultrashredtechnologies.com.