P&C stores help storm victims

Local P & C Food Stores and Penn Traffic have initiated emergency collection efforts to aid the many New York residents who have been paralyzed without power, electricity and essential needs as a result of the recent severe ice and snow storms.

Beginning Friday, at every P & C Food Store in the Northeast area, non-perishable donations will be collected for the victims of the ice storm of January 1998. P & C will accept donations through Friday, January 16, at which time all items will be taken to the Penn Traffic warehouse in Syracuse for repackaging and distribution to emergency areas like Watertown.

P & C officials expect their first deliveries will be made late Friday night or early Saturday morning, January 17.

While any non-perishable grocery item will be accepted, P & C officials have been told by Jefferson County, New York Emergency contacts that diapers, batteries, infant formula and water are the greatest need.

The emergency collection by all 64 P & C Food Stores was put into place in response to the compelling news over the weekend. Phil Hawkins, CEO of Penn Traffic, explained that, "We recognized the urgency of the situation and wanted to do everything possible to help. We feel that a collective response -- the individual contributions of a lot of our customers -- and our distribution network, can make a big difference."

The grocery chain itself already has donated more than nine trailer loads of store goods to the Watertown area. Donations by P & C and Penn Traffic include: 3200 gallons of water, 7680 bags of ice, four trailer loads of grocery essentials, and three trailer loads of bakery products, as well as diapers and baby food. These donations have been brought to the P & C Foods on Arsenal Street in Watertown for distribution.

Throughout the storm, despite the desperate conditions, the P & C Foods on Arsenal Street remained open, with employees operating with flashlights and calculators.

Penn Traffic Company operates 262 supermarkets in Pennsylvania, upstate New York, Ohio, and West Virginia under the "Big Bear," "Big Bear Plus," "Bi-Lo Foods," "P & C Foods," "Quality Markets," and "Riverside Markets," trade names. Penn Traffic also operates wholesale food distribution businesses serving 113 licensed franchises and 94 independent operators.

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