BUFFALO, N.Y. — On Wednesday, Tops Markets announced it selected co-chairs to lead the Buffalo 5/14 Survivors Fund steering committee.
Reverend Mark Blue, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Lackawanna and president of the Buffalo NAACP and Paul Vukelic, president and CEO of Try-It Distributing were selected to lead the committee.
The steering committee will work with the National Compassion Fund to establish procedures and timelines for distributing funds to those who were impacted by the May 14 mass shooting at the Jefferson Avenue Tops.
“This committee, which will be made up of local business, community, and faith leaders, that will volunteer their time to serve and recognize the incredible generosity of those who have donated and approach this responsibility with both compassion and respect,” Reverend Blue said.
“The goal of the steering committee is to help the Buffalo victims’ families, survivors, and those impacted as much as possible, with intentions of transparency, integrity, compassion, and fairness. We take this responsibility very seriously and are committed to doing what is right for all involved,” Vukelic said.
As of Wednesday, more than $1.55 million has been donated to the Buffalo 5/14 Survivors fund with more than 8,500 donors.
“This committee is important so that we can ensure that 100% of the funds go to the victims in a fair manner,” said Jeff Dion, Executive Director of the National Compassion Fund, which has assisted victims of many recent atrocities, including those in Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, and El Paso. “We are very fortunate to have dedicated Steering Committee Co-Chairs to ensure that our process is informed by community input and community values.”
People who wish to make donations by check or wire transfer can email Buffalo@NationalCompassion.org for details.