Retail Patriots Honored for Supporting the Troops

October 26, 2009 9:35 AM EDT

OLATHE, Kan., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Five food retailers and wholesalers have been honored with Retail Patriot awards for "going beyond the call of duty" in their support of our active military troops and veterans.

Winners of the recognition are: Nash Finch Company, Minneapolis; Tops Friendly Markets, Buffalo, N.Y.; Safeway Inc., Pleasanton, Calif.; Hy-Vee, Inc., Des Moines, Iowa; and Dollar Tree Stores, Chesapeake, Va.

All were honored at the recent convention of the Harrisburg, Pa.-based National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) in Washington. Commemorative obelisks, and flags flown above the nation's capitol, were presented by event sponsors Ruiz Food Products, Dinuba, Calif., and Frozen & Dairy Buyer, an industry magazine with offices in Norwich, Vt. and Olathe, Kansas.

Also participating in the program was Polli Brunelli, Acting Executive Director of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR, http://www.esgr.mil). Here are highlights of programs sponsored by the companies honored:

-- Nash Finch donates to the Fisher House Foundation, which provides a number of programs that support military personnel and their families. It also supports Toys for Tots and various food banks. Accepting the award for Nash Finch was Vietnam veteran Gary Spinazze, vice president of vendor relations.

-- Tops Friendly Markets is a presenting sponsor of the American Veterans Traveling Tribute (AVTT), which recognizes Vietnam veterans and all people who have served in our nation's military. The AVTT is a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, with the names of the 58,261 U.S. servicemen and women killed or missing in that war. Susan Durfee, category manager for frozen, dairy and candy, accepted the award for Tops.

-- Safeway's Vons Foundation has given a three-year grant to the Center for Veterans' Advancement, with funds set aside to establish a "one stop shop" to educate, advocate for, and assist veterans. The Safeway Foundation has given a grant and in-kind merchandise donation to Operation S.A.M., which sends packages to our troops. Accepting the award for Safeway was Lou Trujillo, vice president and general manager, frozen food.

-- Hy-Vee has raised $500,000 for Honor Flight, filling two 747 jets with 700 veterans for a one-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington for World War II veterans, enabling them to visit the World War II Memorial. Among many other things, Hy-Vee stores invites all servicemen and women in for a free breakfast on Veteran's Day. Jay Marshall, vice president of center store, accepted the award for Hy-Vee.

-- This is the third year that Dollar Tree Stores, Chesapeake, Va., has been a national sponsor of Operation Homefront, which provides emergency assistance and morale to our troops, to the families they leave behind, and to the wounded warriors when they return. Dollar Tree also supports Operation Homefront's care package program for troops through a monetary donation which assists with mailing costs. Accepting the award for Dollar Tree was Dan Doerflein, vice president and general merchandise manager of consumables.

Nevin Montgomery, president of the NFRA, signed a statement of support for the ESGR, and encouraged member companies to join him in doing so. Many did. Ms. Brunelli noted that "Support from employers is vital."

Ruiz Foods (http://www.elmonterey.com) is itself active with many charities, including several that can be found at http://www.ruiz4kids.org. Both Ruiz and Frozen & Dairy Buyer (http://www.fdbuyer.com) plan to make the Retail Patriot awards an annual event "until all our troops are safely home."

PHOTOS AVAILABLE

    Contacts:

    Warren Thayer, 603-252-0507, warren@fdbuyer.com
    Paul Chapa, 913-481-5060, paul@fdbuyer.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Frozen & Dairy Buyer

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