ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The 17th annual Food for Families campaign offers a chance to make a difference and give back to those in need. News 8, Tops Friendly Markets & WCMF have partnered to benefit Foodlink.

Foodlink is a food bank that sends food to agencies, commonly food pantries, that directly give food to those in need. The organization covers ten counties from Monroe to Allegany.

“It can be as little as one case, two cases,” said Jerard Pearson a fulfillment clerk for the freezer and cooler at Foodlink, “to as big as 300-400 cases.”

Though Jerard says that the most he’s ever packaged in a day is over 1000 boxes, his job is to pick the food from the freezer and package it before truck drivers deliver it to the agencies.

Foodlink is a huge operation. The organization sends out over 20 million pounds of food per year and the busiest time is between Thanksgiving and Christmas during which it ships out over four million pounds. Occasionally, it’ll receive non-food donations.

“Diapers is a perfect example,” said Katie Bernardini, the communications specialist at Foodlink. “We’ll actually find a pantry that may need them and dive those to the pantries in need, but obviously, food is our main goal”

Ultimately, working at Foodlink is more than just a job.

“It gives me fulfillment in a certain type of way,” said Jerard. “Because I know, even though I’m not there in the field, I know the items that I’m picking, that the truck drivers deliver to the agencies — that’s my little part.”

As an organization, Foodlink says that monetary donations are preferable to receiving food because with its partnerships it can stretch one dollar into three meals.

If you’d like to participate you can Purchase a Little Brown Bag of Hope, available at all Tops Markets now and online, visit the Tops Greece location at 3507 Mt. Read Blvd. on Friday, December 8th to make a donation and join the fun, or donate online at foodlinkny.org/donate.

The Food for Families drive runs through Christmas Eve.