Retail Patriots Honored for Supporting the Troops

Dollar Tree, Hy-Vee, Nash Finch, Safeway and Tops Markets shine when it comes
to providing help to our men and women in uniform

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

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SOURCE Frozen & Dairy Buyer

Warren Thayer, +1-603-252-0507, warren@fdbuyer.com, or Paul Chapa,
+1-913-481-5060, paul@fdbuyer.com, both of Frozen & Dairy Buyer