TOP Food & Drug fundraisers for MS Society topping $100,000

TOP Food and Drug customer, employee and corporate contributions to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will top $100,000 this year after a successful campaign at stores earlier this spring.

TOP Food and Drug and its sister Haggen Food and Pharmacy stores are presenting sponsors of Walk MS, which will be conducted by the MS Society’s Greater Northwest Chapter on April 10-11 at eight sites through Washington. To spur awareness and contributions, TOP Food and Haggen stores offered paper MS Sneakers for $1 apiece at checkout stands March 3-16. Customers at the 33 stores in Washington and Oregon donated $56,730 with their purchases of MS Sneakers. Customers also are making donations with their purchases of Walk MS totes and bottled water at the stores.

Many TOP Food and Haggen employees are raising funds by participating in Walk MS and the Bike MS Ride on September 11-12.

TOP Food and Haggen stores have raised $275,000 since 2004 for the MS Society’s Greater Northwest Chapter. The chapter serves more than 10,000 people living with MS, plus 60,000 others affected by the disease, in Western and Central Washington and Alaska. Walk MS donations also fund research to find a cause and cure for the disease.

“The MS Society fundraisers are a company-wide effort because, like so many of our customers, we have connections to many families affected by multiple sclerosis,” said TOP Food spokesperson Becky Skaggs. “We’re grateful to all who support our efforts by buying MS Sneakers and/or pledging donations to employees participating in Walk MS.”

The closest local Walk MS event is scheduled for 9:30 am, Sunday, April 11, at Husky Stadium in Seattle.  For more information, visit WalkMSNorthwest.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another.

Haggen, Inc. operates 33 supermarkets in Washington and Oregon under the TOP Food and Drug and Haggen Food and Pharmacy names. Headquartered in Bellingham, it is the largest independent grocer and eighth-largest private company based in the State of Washington.