King Ferry Winery Donates to Food Bank of CNY

In support of the Food Bank of Central New York, King Ferry Winery donated  $4,405 in 2011, (and an additional $695 in January 2012 for a total of $5,100) to help fight hunger in upstate New York. The Food Bank serves as a central supplier to local food banks throughout the region. The funds were used in support of a “value added processing” purchase, allowing the food bank to buy food directly from processors for ten cents a pound. Through this program, the King Ferry Winery funds were used to buy 9,890 lbs. of apples, 14,450 lbs. of onions, and 3,540 lbs. of winter squash to date, leaving $1600 still available for future purchases.
The winery generated the donation directly from tasting fees, with $1 from each $3 fee going to the charity. Owner Peter Saltonstall has been impressed with his customer’s enthusiasm for the program – “The response by the public was phenomenal. While the economy recovers it is important to remember that there are many people in great need of the basics that many of us take for granted. We hope to continue this program and have some interesting plans for our future participation that we will share with our customers soon. We have found our partnership with the Food Bank to be incredibly rewarding, and we would like to challenge the other Finger Lakes wineries to support this organization.” Director of Operations Chris Couch adds, “Our customers have been very happy to find out that a part of the tasting fee goes to the Food Bank. We even had some of our Frequent Buyers, who do not pay tasting fees, insist upon donating a dollar each time they visit us!”
King Ferry Winery plans on continuing the program through 2012.