Food City is well-known for their superior customer service and vast community involvement within their operational areas.  In keeping with their exemplary service standards, each year Food City recognizes outstanding volunteerism among their associates through their Claude P. Varney Volunteer Recognition Program.

“As a company, we strive to maintain a high level of dedication to service, quality, value and community involvement, while providing a work environment that enables our associates to grow both personally and professionally as successful members of the team,” stated Steven C. Smith, Food City’s president and chief executive officer.

Following his attendance at a June 2002 White House meeting geared toward boosting national volunteerism through corporate support, Smith administered the creation of Food City’s Claude P. Varney Volunteer Recognition Program, in memory of their beloved former president and board vice-chairman.  Throughout his 47-year career, Varney brought a great deal of foresight and knowledge to Food City and the grocery industry as a whole but was most noted for his tremendous compassion and humanitarian services.  

“Many of our associates volunteer their time and talents to numerous service organizations throughout the areas in which we operate, and we feel it’s needful to recognize the valuable services and support they provide,” said Smith.  

Each year, special committees are established to review associate volunteer activities and select individual award recipients based on outstanding achievement in the areas of health, education, environment, cultural arts, recreational, heritage/history and public service.  One overall winner is selected from each Food City location and corporate levels.  Of those entries, the following individual store winners were selected:

Donald Buttner – Rossville, GA

Nathan Ott – Dalton, GA

Olga McCoy – Calhoun, GA

Adam Garrett – Ringgold, GA

Jeff Caissie – Rossville, GA

Lauren Champion – Chatsworth, GA

Brooke Seals – Trenton, GA

Roger Barton – Fort Oglethorpe, GA

Shelly Roach – LaFayette, GA

Logan Sparks – Paintsville, KY

Darlene Stanley – South Williamson, KY

Andrew Johnson – Middlesboro, KY

Michael Wireman – Louisa, KY

Sandra Cook – Whitesburg, KY

Jace Howard  – Harlan, KY

Mikel Sexton – Hazard, KY

Tamyra Schoolcraft – Pikeville, KY

David Williams – Cumberland, KY

Shauna Brown – Prestonsburg, KY

Mary Beth Caudill – Pikeville, KY

Patricia Herrera – Albertville, AL

Bree Adams – Johnson City, TN

Phillip Drinnon – Morristown, TN

George (Eddie) Hutchison – Church Hill, TN

Aaron Price – Newport, TN

Marcy Carrier – Kingsport, TN

Cardiela Vickery – Greeneville, TN

Carol DeMonbreun  – Morristown, TN

Shaun Lister – Greeneville, TN

Marilyn Van Ryn – Kodak, TN

Pressli Stinnett – Pigeon Forge, TN

Cait Bowling – Gatlinburg, TN

Jim Jenkins – Rogersville, TN

Angie Gorman – Newport, TN

James Gann – Jefferson City, TN

Charles Martin  – Knoxville, TN

Skylar Leonard – Bristol, TN

Laura Brown – White Pine, TN

Sarah Fennell – Blaine TN

Victoria Sloan – Vonore, TN

Myra Casey – Bristol, TN

Carole Sherman – Erwin, TN

Debbie McNelly – Alcoa, TN

Heather Carr – Johnson City, TN

Ken Garner  – Dandridge, TN

Benjamin Williams – Elizabethton, TN

Shawn Young – Loudon, TN

Samantha Ryans – Harriman, TN

ASHLEY MILLER  – Jonesborough, TN

Laken Woods – Johnson City, TN

Rebecca Morris – Oliver Springs, TN

Jimmy Lane – Seymour, TN

Charles D. Riggs Jr – Tazewell, TN

Jaedyn Johnson – Morristown, TN

Lorie Watson – Maryville, TN

Atala Crawford – Lenoir City, TN

Homer Sauls – Maryville TN

William Marcus – Kingston, TN

Michelle Breeden – Clinton, TN

Stephanie Fisher – Knoxville, TN

Mark Young – Crossville, TN

Andrew Crawford – Kingsport, TN

Ronald Cole – Lafollette, TN

Palla Godsey – Crossville, TN

Zach Dyer – Greeneville, TN

John Ferguson – Kingsport, TN

Hazel West – Pigeon Forge, TN

Tony Barretta – Sevierville, TN

Deborah Adams – Sevierville, TN

Jason Garst – Blountville, TN

Jessica Crabtree – Gray, TN

Judy Collins – Knoxville, TN

Jennifer Ilagan – Knoxville, TN

Virginia Foster – Knoxville, TN

Steve Elder – Knoxville, TN

Cassie Kiestler  – Knoxville, TN

Judy Smith – Powell, TN

Lisa Clapp – Maynardville, TN

Teddy Dantzler – Oak Ridge, TN

Rosemary Gendreau – Knoxville, TN

Tammy Young – Knoxville, TN

Linda Morrow – Athens, TN

Curtis Hinchey – Knoxville, TN

Cecilia Johansen – Knoxville, TN

Sierrra Huffines – Winchester, TN

Michael Berry – Knoxville, TN

John Santana – Piney Flats, TN

Chainey Crowder – Chattanooga, TN

Maxine Homles – Hixson, TN

Roderick walker – Chattanooga, TN

David Simmons  – Chattanooga, TN

Lyriaa Robinson – East Ridge, TN

Matthew Williams – Cleveland, TN

John Patterson – Hixson, TN

Timothy Wright – Chattanooga, TN

Russell Harp – Chattanooga, TN

Dolly Rogers – Harrison, TN

Stephanie Reed  – Dayton, TN

Gary Hendricks  – Chattanooga, TN

Erwin "Bates" Reed – Red Bank, TN

Selena Collins – Chattanooga, TN

Steven Johnson – Soddy Daisy, TN

Selena Burnette – Cleveland, TN

Kami Kawakami – Etowah, TN

Que Caruthers – Ooltewah, TN

Sheila Bickford – Ooltewah, TN

Tom Williams III – Bristol, VA

Heather Greer – Weber City, VA

Evie McCoy – Bristol, VA

Ruthie Kirk  – Abingdon, VA

Gannon Brown – Cedar Bluff, VA

Samantha Ball – Vansant, VA

Karen Umberger – Marion, VA

Steven Stanley  – Chilhowie, VA

Brian Fraizer – Wytheville, VA

William Nicholas Miller – Bluefield, VA

Angel Grubbs – Radford, VA

Frank Bibb – Pulaski, VA

Jordan Phipps  – Damascus, VA

Natalie Smith – Galax, VA

Patricia Milam – Lebanon, VA

Amanda Jackson – Big Stone Gap, VA

Emily Mullins – Clintwood, VA

Melanie Deel  – Coeburn, VA

Grace Hall – Pennington Gap, VA

Josh Gilbert – Rose Hill, VA

Bryan Kennedy – St. Paul, VA

John Begley – Wise, VA

Jill Susaan – Pikeville, KY

Kim Adams – Prestonsburg, KY

Mark Rogers – Rogersville, TN

Heather Brown – Abingdon, VA

Michael Stiltner – Grundy, VA

 

Store winners then move on to compete at district level.  Twelve district winners are recognized with an award and a $250 contribution to their choice charity.  Two divisional winners are then chosen and honored with a plaque and a $750 charity contribution.  And finally, one overall winner is selected to receive the prestigious Claude P. Varney Humanitarian Award and be publicly recognized for their outstanding achievements in addition to a $1,250 charity contribution made on their behalf.  

“We’re extremely proud of the difference our associates make through their many humanitarian contributions.  Our company is wholly committed to providing exceptional service to the citizens and communities in which we operate and ensuring our associates have the support they need to become the best corporate citizens possible,” summarized Smith.

 

Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 138 retail outlets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, north Georgia, and Alabama.