Tops Friendly Markets exceeds goals of Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign, 'Gift of Warmth' drive with M&T Bank

Campaigns drive more than $1,000,000 in donations and 4,848 winter items collected across Buffalo and Rochester

Tops Friendly Markets Press Release & Photos

This winter, Tops Friendly Markets was pleased to collaborate for the second year with partners M&T Bank and The Salvation Army for the “Gift of Warmth” campaign, a longstanding winter clothing collection now in its 39th year. Tops and M&T Bank welcomed collection bins into stores and branches in the Buffalo-Rochester region to gather new hats, gloves, mittens and scarves, which The Salvation Army quickly distributed to families in need and to those without shelter.

The campaign collected 4,848 winter clothing items during the 2024-25 winter season. Collection bins were available for donations at 53 Tops locations and 84 M&T branches throughout the greater Buffalo-Rochester area.

Not only did this new partnership directly impact the communities’ Tops serves, but it further enhanced Tops’ commitment to The Salvation Army and its Red Kettle Campaign. Bell ringers could be seen – and heard – in Tops vestibules across Western New York helping to raise an incredible $1,046,586.88 – a $40,000 increase over last year's campaign.

“Once again, we are amazed and blessed by the outpouring of support from our communities, helping those less fortunate,” said Maj. John Lock of The Salvation Army. “Thank you to Tops for your space to ring, all the volunteers who gave of their time to ring the bells, M&T for the leadership in the ‘Gift of Warmth’ collection, and to the generous donors in our community for making this incredible donation possible.”

Tops President Ron Ferri said, “For years, we have partnered with The Salvation Army on their Red Kettle holiday campaign in our stores, and now, in also continuing our support of the ‘Gift of Warmth’ drive, we were proud to be able to further support our neighbors in need. The incredible generosity of our community has truly been remarkable. From donating winter essentials to the ‘Gift of Warmth’ campaign to the outpouring of support for bell-ringing efforts, our customers and associates have once again demonstrated their unwavering commitment to helping others. On behalf of Tops Markets, I commend M&T Bank and The Salvation Army for their tremendous work together. We were incredibly proud to join the effort and bring this initiative into our stores.”

M&T Bank Western New York Regional President Eric Feldstein said, “With bitter cold and snow so common in our region, the ‘Gift of Warmth’ provides critical winter essentials to people in our community who are experiencing clothing and shelter insecurities. In collaborating with Tops Friendly Markets for the second year in a row, we were able to once again collect an incredible number of winter clothing items to ensure our neighbors are provided the essentials to be comfortable and safe all season long. We are grateful to every individual who participated in this most recent drive, and to Tops and The Salvation Army for their profoundly impactful partnership.”

The “Gift of Warmth” was created in 1985 when a small group of M&T Bank employees came together to encourage their colleagues to donate winter clothing items to The Salvation Army. As the years went on, this small group effort transformed into a communitywide campaign and has since collected 50,950 winter clothing items – all distributed by The Salvation Army to local families, children and individuals. Through this second, expanded “Gift of Warmth” campaign, M&T Bank and Tops Friendly Markets collaborated to inspire their employees, customers and communities to get involved and help their neighbors stay warm this winter.

Headquartered in Williamsville, Tops Markets operates a robust network of 152 grocery stores spanning New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, including one franchise location in Lewiston. Discover more at www.topsmarkets.com.

The Salvation Army helped nearly 24 million people in 2023 overcome poverty, addiction and spiritual and economic hardships by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and meeting human needs in his name without discrimination in nearly every ZIP code. By providing food, shelter, eviction prevention assistance, emergency disaster relief, rehabilitation, after-school and summer youth programs, spiritual enrichment, and more, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at nearly 7,000 centers of operation around the country. For more information, visit www.salvationarmybuffalo.org.

M&T is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo. M&T's principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, provides banking products and services with a branch and ATM network spanning the eastern U.S. from Maine to Virginia and Washington, D.C. Trust-related services are provided in select markets in the U.S. and abroad by M&T's Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank. For more information about M&T Bank, visit www.mtb.com.