PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	November 21, 2006

FOR THE TENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, THE BUFFALO TEACHERS FEDERATION DONATES
THANKSGIVING DAY MEALS TO MORE THAN 200 LOCAL FAMILIES

         BUFFALO, NEW YORK (Tuesday, November 21, 2006) – Thousands of dollars in food and gift certificates that were donated by Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) members were distributed today to more than 200 needy families throughout the Buffalo area through several charitable and non-profit groups in an effort to "make sure those families enjoy a 'meal of thanks' on Thanksgiving Day," BTF President Phil Rumore announced.

More than 200 shopping bags and boxes filled with food that were readied for distribution packed BTF Headquarters on the corner of Porter Avenue and Niagara Street, including over 150 bags that sat atop a massive and wide conference room table. Inside them were a number of food items purchased from Tops Markets, which worked in conjunction with the BTF in this Thanksgiving food drive. Each bag contained two cans of corn, green beans, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce, a package of dinner rolls, a bag of stuffing mix and a $10 certificate for purchase of a turkey.  In addition, hundreds of food items collected by teachers were distributed.

"As we do each year, this bounty of food before us was donated by Buffalo teachers who want to do their part to make sure families who might otherwise go without will enjoy their Thanksgiving Day meal," Rumore said. "This is our tenth annual Thanksgiving food drive where canned and packaged goods and monetary donations were made by Buffalo teachers. In retrospect, this is a wonderful way for all of us to give thanks for what we have. After all, isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about?"

The Thanksgiving Day meal donations were distributed to selected families through the following local charitable and non-profit groups: The City Mission (854-8181); The Community Action Organization (881-6543); Concerned Ecumenical Ministries (882-2442); The Gloria Parks Community Center (832-1010); Native American Community Services (874-2797); and WHRD (Women for Human Rights & Dignity (831-9821)).

The organizations using trucks, vans and cars loaded up at BTF headquarters at 4:00 on November 21, 2006.