Bills fans once again came through and showed their support of the Food Bank of Western New York by donating enough money and canned food to take care of 111,947 meals for families in need. Over 2,675 pounds of food were collected along with approximately $20,000 which will help those in need from Erie, Cattaraugas, Chautauqua and Niagara counties.
The Buffalo Bills 13th annual Fan Food Drive was held prior to the Saturday, August 27th Kids Day preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ralph Wilson Stadium (RWS) and the Buffalo Jills Cheerleaders and Food Bank volunteers helped with the collection.
Ralph and Mary Wilson, along with the Buffalo Bills, kicked off the 2011 Fan Food Drive with a $10,000 donation to the Food Bank of WNY children's programs. Tops Friendly Markets, team partner and the official supermarket of the Buffalo Bills, also donated $5,000 to support the collection.
"We are so excited about the results from this year's Fan Food Drive with the Buffalo Bills and on behalf of all the residents we serve, we thank the fans who donated to us Saturday night," said Marylou Borowiak, President and CEO of the Food Bank of WNY. "We also thank Mr. and Mrs. Wilson and Tops Friendly Markets for their generous donations and to our media partners for promoting this wonderful event. We are so proud of our long-lasting relationship with the Buffalo Bills."
"We are proud to support the Food Bank of Western New York and are thankful for all that they do to help hungry families in our community," said Mr. Ralph Wilson, Bills founder and president. "Mary and I would like to thank Tops Friendly Markets, all of the volunteers involved with the collection at the Bills game, and all of the fans for their donations to such an important cause."
"As a longtime partner of the Buffalo Bills and the Food Bank of WNY, we're happy to help support this meaningful campaign," said Frank Curci, Tops Markets president and CEO. "Tops is proud to be a part of a community that focuses on giving back locally and reaching out to our neighbors in need."
The Food Bank's mission is to feed the less fortunate in the community and these donations help their cause immensely. The Food Bank, through its network of over 400 member agencies in Western New York, distributes close to one million pounds of food each month. This equates to 1,180,000 meals provided to nearly 100,000 less fortunate individuals every month.
For more information regarding the Fan Food Drive: Collecting for Hungry Kids and Families, please contact Mike Billoni, Food Bank of Western New York marketing and public relations director at 716-852-1305 or the Bills Community Relations office at 716-648-1800.
