Past Events
Thank You For Your Generosity and Supporting Our Mission!
A huge thank you for the sold out crowd of 800 guests who attended this year’s Sweet Charity, presented by Lawley Insurance. It was an awesome event!
Buffalo Chapter of the Links
The Buffalo Chapter of The Links, Incorporated is one of 274 Chapters nationwide, consisting of 12,000 plus women of African descent organized to promote educational and cultural enrichment, health and wellness, and civic involvement. As part of its community service component the Buffalo Chapter donated holiday turkeys to the Food Bank to assist in its mission of providing sustaining nourishment to local families. Present in the photo are Chairwoman Yvonne Boyles Evans, Chapter Vice President (and former Food Bank Board Member) Hon. Debra L. Givens, and Health and Human Services member, Jan Robinson.
Food 2 Families
Friday, December 7, 2012 the Western New York community rallied to help Tops Friendly Markets and Channel 2 collect food and funds during the annual all-day Food 2 Families drive!
See more photos here!
Turkey Trot Food Drive
Turkey Trot participants donated more than 1,800 pounds of food the day of the traditional Thanksgiving day run. The YMCA also held a month-long food drive leading up to the race.
Rock Out Hunger
DJ Jickster from 97 Rock lived on a trailer for a week collecting non-perishable food items, cash and turkeys just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. In total Jickster, with media exposure from WKBW-TV Channel 7, collected $19,002, 2,508 turkeys and 20,867 pounds of food.
View photo album here.
Thanksgiving Blitz with Buffalo Bills and Tops Friendly Markets
More than 600 families received a turkey dinner just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.
View Buffalo Bills Video
View Food Bank Album
Janet and Nick's Food Drive
Janet and Nick's Food Drive for the Food Bank collected more than $2,000, 3,476 pounds of food and 71 turkeys.
View the photo album here.
Bills Women Give Back During Touchdown Turkeys 2012
The Buffalo Bills Women's Association shopped for the Food Bank during the 9th annual Touchdown Turkeys event, donating food and baby items to help fight hunger in WNY.
See the recap story Here.
Walk Off Hunger 2012
View the entire album from Walk Off Hunger here.
EMPTY BOWLS 2012
Above: Youth enjoyed a fun day at Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College. Bowls were made by local school children, college students, and professional artists with proceeds benefiting the Food Bank and Friends of the Night People.
NEW YORK STATE EGG FARMERS HELP STRUGGLING FAMILIES WITH DONATION OF 72,000 EGGS
New York State’s own Kreher’s Farm Fresh Eggs donated more than 72,000 eggs to the Food Bank of Western New York on March 20 at 10:00 a.m. to help families struggling with food insecurity.
The donation was part of a national effort, organized by the United Egg Producers and Feeding America. For the fifth consecutive spring, America’s egg farmers are giving the Easter Bunny and families in need, a helping hand by donating nearly 10 million fresh eggs. That brings the number of eggs farmers have contributed since 2008 to 60 million.
For food banks across America, high quality sources of protein, such as eggs, are especially needed and valued.
VIEW THE ENTIRE SLIDESHOW OF THE DONATION PRESENTATION HERE
SMITHFIELD AND THE UFCW TO DONATE 120,000 SERVINGS OF PROTEIN TO LOCAL FOOD BANK AS PART OF ‘FEEDING THE HUNGRY’ TOUR
To help meet the high demand for much-needed protein, Smithfield and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Tuesday, March 6, delivered 120,000 servings (30,000 pounds) of protein to the Food Bank of Western New York.
Tops Markets, a longstanding retail partner of Smithfield and a dedicated supporter of the Food Bank of Western New York, also participated in the program with a generous donation of $160,107 as part of their Check out Hunger Campaign. During the campaign, which began January 22 and continued through Feb. 11, Tops customers donated $2, $3 or $5 upon checkout. The donation was added to their grocery bill and all proceeds went directly to the Food Bank of Western New York.
Feeding the Hungry is a joint program of the UFCW and Smithfield to donate and help deliver 20 million servings of protein over three years to food banks around the country. The partnership is designed to bring much-needed assistance to the growing number of people facing hunger and food insecurity in our communities.
Feeding the Hungry is part of the UFCW’s renewed commitment to lead communities in finding solutions based on shared responsibility. UFCW members have a long history of helping those in need.
More than 50 million people in the U.S. daily experience hunger. One in six adults and one in four children know what it is like to go to bed hungry or to have to decide between buying food and paying for other necessities such as utility or medical bills.
Smithfield Foods and its independent operating companies have a long history of stocking food banks, supporting after-school nutrition programs and providing food relief in the wake of natural disasters. In January 2008, Smithfield established their Helping Hungry Homes® initiatives to help ensure that American families in need do not go hungry. Feeding the Hungry is one of Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes® initiatives.
Presidents' Day Donation
Robert Brozyna decided for his 8th birthday he wanted his friends to donate cash or non perishable food for him to donate to the Food Bank of Western New York. On President’s Day (Feb. 20), Robert, his two brothers and his parents visited the Food Bank and he donated $300 and 70 pounds of food.
“Last year, my friend Ryan donated money to children’s Hospital in lieu of birthday gifts,” Robert explained. “I thought that was a great idea so I decided to do it for the Food Bank of WNY because I wanted to give food to those who didn’t have any.”
He had 17 friends attend a birthday party at the Niagara Climbing Center and they all donated to the Food Bank.
“I feel great because now people who don’t have food are able to get food. I learned that it is important to eat my food and not to waste any food because there are people who don’t have enough food to eat.”
Sweet Charity 2012
Thank you to all of those who came out to support Sweet Charity, Thursday, February 2, 2012! It was a special evening to honor Ann McCarthy, a friend of the organization and community leader.
Chautauqua County Community Foundation - Partners Fighting Hunger
Randy Sweeney, Executive Director of Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, presents check to Public Relations and Marketing Director of the Food Bank, Michael Billoni, for the Chautauqua County Partners Fighting Hunger program.
Rowing Upstream To Meet Emerging Needs
Linda L. Cowan, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation writer
A problem posed to me many years ago has remained with me. It reminds me that each challenge has its own set of expected and unexpected complexities.
“A rowboat needs to travel upstream a distance of thirteen miles. Its maximum speed is 3 mph, and the river flows at rate of 1 mph. What time will the boat need to leave the dock to arrive at its destination by 5 p.m.?”
While my teacher diligently explained the algebraic formula to arrive at the answer, I could actually see myself in that boat. Let’s see, it’s a beautiful day for the trip, nothing but the sound of birds in the early morning sunlight. Suddenly, a call for help from a pair of nearby kayakers attracts my attention. After half an hour they are on shore and in the care of medical personnel. And I’m back in the boat and headed upstream. A short time later, the sound of music draws me into a small café situated along a shady cove. After a light repast, I resume travel. Nearing the destination, a leg cramp incapacitates me and totally stops forward motion. Groan, shake it out, and resume travel.
Ultimately, I came to accept the formulas and pass the class, but I retained my belief that things are always more complicated than they may first seem and that variables are always at play.
What, you may be wondering, does this have to do with the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation?
The CRCF recently partnered with the Food Bank of WNY to solve a problem: to fund the transportation costs associated with the annual transfer of approximately 1.4 million pounds of food to forty-five member agencies within a 1,100 square mile radius. Perishable food items are delivered by truck directly to Chautauqua County member agencies in order to offer nutritious food items in a timely and consistent manner. Costs include the driver’s salary, truck maintenance and repairs, fuel, phone, and distribution center/storage facility rent and utilities. The challenge was to find immediate funding for this essential service.
Fortunately, the CRCF was able to call on several donor-advised funds at the Foundation to help defray these costs. Advisors of the Jane Miller Fund, Edwin J. and Katherine M. Hegstedt Memorial Fund, and the Compass Fund came to the rescue with their immediate response and provided the necessary funding to sustain critical transportation services aimed at fighting hunger in Chautauqua County. The beneficiaries are the infants, children, adults and the elderly in our region.
A delivery truck and driver now travel to all participating agencies making timely deliveries. Prior to securing the truck, member agencies were each making the trip into Jamestown to pick up food items, many times with volunteers and borrowed trucks.
Ruth Kelly, coordinator of the Ripley Food Pantry, praised the new arrangement in her letter to Anne Julian of the Food Bank of WNY in Buffalo: “Please accept our true appreciation; we no longer need to haul 2,000 lbs. or more of food through Jamestown’s icy, snowy streets in winter weather in an open trailer….It has made such a difference to all the rural pantries.”
Kathy Schroeder of the Sinclairville Food Cupboard adds, “We want to let you know that we hope this service continues as it has been a tremendous difference and has made the process much easier for us!”
Donor-advised funds are an integral part of the charitable giving options available at the CRCF. They provide an immediate tax-deduction to the donor and provide flexibility in responding to emerging and immediate needs. Donors maintain the role of advisor and make recommendations for charitable distributions. Many times they have “saved the day,” and they continue to offer invaluable resources aimed at enriching the quality of life in the Chautauqua region.
Fighting hunger is an ongoing upstream challenge and one of many daily challenges facing the Chautauqua region. The CRCF welcomes new and experienced “rowers” to their donor base. You can chart your own course or join one already underway. Either way, an enthusiastic and grateful “welcome aboard” awaits your arrival.
Buffamante Whipple Buttafaro, P.C. Donation
Buffamante Whipple Buttafaro, P.C. (BWB) is making note of its 40th year in operation by giving back to its communities. This week the certified public accounting and business advisory firm announced that it would be donating $12,500 to the Food Bank of Western New York, with $5000 of that money to be used to purchase food that will go directly to the St. Susan Center in Jamestown.
“We’re just overjoyed by this donation,” explained Michael Billoni, Marketing and Public Relations Director for the Food Bank of Western New York. “It’s just a wonderful gesture by a great company in our community.”
On Monday (Dec. 19), members of the BWB branch in Jamestown stopped by the St. Susan Center in Jamestown to not only drop off their donation, but to also hand-deliver 30 bags of food that was collected during a recent food drive.
Rock Out Hunger
97 ROCK’S DJ JICKSTER SETS RECORDS DURING 6TH ANNUAL OPERATION: ROCK OUT HUNGER
97 Rock’s “DJ Jickster,” who lived on a Food Bank of Western New York 53-foot trailer since last Wednesday evening, set two records in the sixth annual Operation: Rock Out Hunger by collecting 1,646 frozen turkeys, along with $15,722. The one-week drive also received 10,075 pounds of perishable and non perishable food. National Fuel will match the amount of donated turkeys.
“I am overjoyed that we were able to help so many needy families in Western New York this year,” Jickster said. “The need was up significantly and as fast as the turkeys came in, the Food Bank distributed them back to our local community through their member agencies. This is what Thanksgiving is all about.”
Jickster lived in the trailer in the parking lot of Quaker Steak and Lube Restaurant, 6727 Transit Road in Williamsville.
The record number of donated turkeys included 300 from First Niagara Bank and 250 from General Mills. Buffalo Bills fullback Corey McIntyre donated $3,800 and Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly also donated $2,000.
“We cannot thank Jickster enough for his passion and dedication to feed the hungry in our community. This drive was a huge success because of Jickster, all our friends at 97 Rock and of course, the generous community,” said Marylou Borowiak, President and CEO of the Food Bank.
For Past Event Photos: Check Out Our Flickr Photostream