Williamsville, N.Y., 2018-Mar-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — TOPS is committed to helping end hunger in its local communities. Its partners like Food Bank of WNY, Foodlink, Food Bank of Central New York, and six additional are thankful for the tremendous success of the recent Little Brown Bags of Hope holiday campaign as well as the just completed Checkout Hunger, as Tops Friendly Markets announces surpassing their goal of helping provide over 3 million meals! Three million meals – equal to 30 tractor trailer trucks of food – will impact hundreds of thousands of people across the company’s three state footprint.“Both of these campaigns offered us the opportunity to come together as a community and show our support for those in need – showing that together we can truly make an amazing difference in so many people’s lives” said Frank Curci, chief executive officer for Tops Friendly Markets. 100% of the donations stayed local to the store where the donations were made. In total nine food banks across the chain’s footprint in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and Vermont benefit from these efforts.
The method behind the magic of the chains largest and most successful giving campaign lies in its Little Brown Bags of Hope, a term that has become synonymous with giving to the Food Banks during the holiday season. Organizers moved away from the physical bags of food during this year’s campaign in order to increase efficiencies, allowing the Food Banks to expedite donations from the store to their operating facilities and then into the market as quickly as possible. At the register, customers were asked if they wanted to support the campaign by buying a $5 Breakfast, $10 Lunch, and/or $20 Dinner for a family in need in our community.
Also new in 2017, TOPS introduced the “virtual” Little Brown Bag of Hope. Customers were able to purchase the same $5 Breakfast bag, $10 Lunch bag, and/or a $20 Dinner bag online by simply visiting www.topsmarkets.com/littlebrownbags so no matter what the weather, a donation could be made right from their phone, tablet, or desktop.
The chain’s annual Check out Hunger winter campaign ran in a similar fashion where customers were asked by their cashier if they would like to round up their bill, or make a donation of $2, $3, or $5. This year alone, Tops Friendly Markets, along with its media partners, have worked together to help provide over 1.7 million meals to families in need through the Check Out Hunger Campaign.
“The Food Bank of WNY is grateful for the continued support of Tops Friendly Markets. Their year-round generosity makes an incredible difference in the lives of hungry children, families and seniors in our community. We are thankful for their partnership as we continue to fight hunger one day at a time,” Tara A. Ellis, president and CEO of the Food Bank of WNY, said.
Tops Markets, LLC, is headquartered in Williamsville, NY and operates 169 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.
CONTACT:
Kathy Romanowski
7166355577
Source: Tops Friendly Markets