Tops celebrates its 30th year helping JDRF find a cure for type 1 diabetes

Tops Friendly Markets is once again partnering with JDRF as it embarks on a 53rd year to find a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D). This year, the campaign will begin Sunday, March 5, and run through Saturday, March 25 – it’s the 30th year Tops has helped run the JDRF campaign at its stores.

The goal is to raise money to help fund research to help find a cure for T1D. The paper sneaker, which was designed by a Tops associate back in 1993 and is now widely used nationally as well as internally in JDRF fundraising campaigns, will be sold at Tops registers for a $1 donation.   

A Tops Friendly Markets press release stated, “Now more than ever, the onset of T1D can happen suddenly, impacting people of any age, affecting them every moment of every day, and it lasts a lifetime. Since 1993, Tops has raised over $14 million for the cause with Tops fundraising efforts, putting the company in the top fundraisers across national corporate partners.”

John Persons, president of Tops Friendly Markets, said, “Over the past three decades in working closely with our partners at JDRF, we have seen first-hand the important role this organization plays in nearly every major advancement for diabetes. Whether it be in the form of drug, device, or cell therapy, or advancements like artificial pancreas systems, JDRF is the leading nonprofit fighting to find cures for T1D and improve the lives of those living with the disease today.

The press release stated, “Tops Friendly Markets fully believes that advocacy for those with T1D is paramount to help drive advances to both cure the disease and help keep them healthy until cures are found. More than 1.45 million Americans have T1D and about 2.1 million people are expected to have the disease by 2040.”

Based in Williamsville, Tops Markets currently operates 149 grocery stores in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, including five that are run by franchisees. For more information, visit www.topsmarkets.com.