March 1, 2011
A Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York volunteer has been chosen as the winner of a joint initiative between Dunkin' Donuts and Siena Athletics to recognize individuals who make a difference in their community.
Kathy Busch, who organized her first food drive in 2008 while recovering from a traumatic brain injury and collected 8,000 pounds of food during her most recent food drive, was honored with the "Keep America Running Hometown Hero" award for her tireless dedication to the community.
Busch was presented with a $100 Dunkin' Donuts Card during a special recognition ceremony to honor the region's top volunteers at halftime during the Saints' home game at the Times Union Center on Sunday. In addition, Dunkin' Donuts will also donate on behalf of Busch a year's worth of coffee to the Regional Food Bank, which provides food for the poor and hungry throughout New York.
"Dunkin' Donuts believes in recognizing those who make a difference in our local communities," said Dunkin' Donuts Field Marketing Manager Eric Stensland. "We are pleased to honor Kathy Busch for her tireless commitment to alleviating hunger and serving those in need."
Busch was selected as the winner of the contest following a nomination that cited her ability to turn personal tragedy into community triumph. Busch, a nurse practitioner, suffered a traumatic brain injury when she slammed her head into a car door while hurrying to retrieve something inside her car. Unable to work during a difficult recovery, she decided to volunteer and organized a food drive in her community. The first food drive garnered more than 1,000 pounds of food, and Busch, now back to work full-time, has continued organizing larger food drives in various communities.
"Kathy Busch should be an inspiration to us all," said Siena College Director of Athletics John D'Argenio, who joined Busch at half court for the presentation. "In the midst of personal struggle, she focused on others through volunteering and continues to do so, touching more and more lives with each food drive."
Busch is the third in a series of "Hometown Heroes" being recognized by Dunkin' Donuts and Siena Athletics during the 2010-11 men's basketball season. Dunkin' Donuts and Siena recognized nurse practitioner Michael Bailey in December and Army reservist Tony Straus in January.
The "Keep America Running Hometown Hero" contest is one of the highlights of a comprehensive season long partnership between Dunkin' Donuts and Siena Athletics.
In addition to the donation made Sunday, Dunkin' Donuts will also donate one pound of coffee to the Regional Food Bank for every dunk made by a member of the Siena men's basketball team during the 2010-11 season. The Regional Food Bank is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization that collects donated food from the food industry and distributes it to 1,000 charitable agencies feeding the hungry in 23 counties of northeastern New York. The food provided by the food bank helps to feed more than 40,000 people each week. In 2010, the organization distributed 24.8 million pounds of food to the hungry.
