News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
DATE:
 December 5, 2019
CONTACT: Kathy Sautter
716 635 5577

   
TOPS HOSTS 6TH ANNUAL FOOD FOR FAMILIES EVENT
WEEK-LONG EVENT ENCOURAGES COMMUNITY TO DONATE TO LOCAL FOOD BANKS

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. – For the past fourteen years, the term Little Brown Bags of Hope has become synonymous with Tops Friendly Markets and the annual Food for Families campaign. What began as a one day campaign in Buffalo, NY to benefit the Food Bank of WNY has since expanded across the entire chains footprint reaching into Rochester, and Syracuse, NY as well as Erie, PA working with nine food banks across all of the chains market and impacting more than 1.3 million people in need. Once again this year the Food Bank of North Eastern New York as well as Foodlink, Food Bank of Central New York, and Food Bank of the Southern Tier will benefit from the campaigns efforts.

“Tops Markets’ Food for Families program is a great source of food for the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and many of the food pantries and other agencies we serve. It will help us feed thousands of hungry people in our area, said Mark Quadnt, executive director for Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. “We thank Tops for being such a great partner of the Food Bank by assisting us in so many ways. We look forward to being part of this great program once again.”

As Tops enters into its sixth season of the campaign it is seeking the communities support to surpass its corporate goal of 2 million meals, giving hope to families in need this holiday season.

The campaign, which officially kicked off November 24 will run until December 28, 2019. Customers can easily purchase a Little Brown Bag of Hope paper icon at the register anytime they shop. Shoppers will be asked if they want to support the campaign by buying a $5 Breakfast, $10 Lunch, and/or $20 Dinner for someone in need in our community.

“The Food Bank of the Southern Tier is grateful for the support of our partners at Tops during the holidays and throughout the year in our efforts to build & sustain hunger-free communities,” said Natasha Thompson, president & CEO.

Virtual Little Brown Bags of Hope will also be available for purchase online by simply visiting https://www.topsneighborshelpingneighbors.com/ so no matter what the weather, a donation can be made right from their phone, tablet, or desktop. Here customers can select what food bank they wish their donation to benefit.

"For more than a dozen years, we've enjoyed the support of Tops' Food for Families campaign and know first-hand the impact it makes on our community," said Julia Tedesco, president & CEO of Foodlink. "Everyone involved, from the staff to the shoppers, rallies together to support our mission and provide thousands of meals to those in our community who need our help the most during the holiday season."

Many locals love the tradition of bringing or purchasing their donation at the store and joining in on the festivities which will take place throughout the week of December 9-13, 2019 with Tops team members and local media sponsors from Finger Lakes Media Group. Donations can be made throughout the day at the following Tops Friendly Market locations:

352 West Genesee Street, Auburn 321 Liberty Street, Penn Yan 2140 Walworth-Penfield Rd., Walworth 6179 NY RT 96, Farmington 504-1/2 Franklin St., Watkins Glen 1963 Kingdom Plaza, Waterloo

“What a wonderful time of year with Food for Families partnership! We are excited to participate in the 9th year of this event to support families with essential food items they need. Food Bank truly appreciates the community support for purchasing Brown Bags of Hope. Thank you to all our partners for making this event so successful,” said Kathleen Stress, executive director for the Food Bank of Central NY

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Tops Markets, LLC, is headquartered in Williamsville, NY and operates 159 full-service supermarkets with five additional by franchisees under the Tops banner. Tops employs over 14,000 associates and is a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont. For more information about Tops Markets, visit the company's website at www.topsmarkets.com.

 

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