Support Community Food Access in Buffalo

We are devastated and outraged by the killings of community members in Buffalo, New York, this weekend by a white supremacist. This racist attack deliberately targeted a Black community at its epicenter: a community grocery store.

There is something particularly heinous about a violent attack meant to terrorize an entire community. The rampant and deliberate anti-Blackness at play here is a terrifying reminder of the ways anti-Black racism still permeates our society in ways large and small. Like so many of our partner communities, we are horrified and heartbroken—and yet we know this is the reality so many must face on a daily basis. 

Furthermore, Tops Friendly Markets, an east Buffalo grocery store, was one of the only nearby sources of fresh food for local residents. Grocery stores are a vital community resource, especially in historically marginalized neighborhoods. Not only did ten residents lose their lives while fulfilling a basic human need—feeding themselves, their families, and the community—but an entire community now must reckon with the loss of their food source while processing their grief and trauma. 

As the Buffalo community tries to heal, and in the absence of Tops Friendly Market as a resource, it’s critical that residents can continue to access food. We encourage our networks to move money to Black-led groups committed to feeding the Buffalo community, including Rooted in Love and Feed Buffalo. Local supporters can also make donations of fresh or nonperishable food items to community fridges, including Buffalo Community Fridge, which is accepting donations at 257 E. Ferry Street. 

We remember Celestine Chaney, Roberta A. Drury, Andre Mackneil, Katherine Massey, Margus D. Morrison, Heyward Patterson, Aaron Salter Jr., Geraldine Talley, Ruth Whitfield, and Pearl Young, and we urge our community to take action.