Food City customers, staff and vendors kicked in $542,391 for Breakthrough T1D (formerly known as Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).
Lori Marsh, development director for East Tennessee, said Food City is the agency’s No. 1 contributor in the state.
The donation was made August 21, 2024, at the Food City at 9565 Middlebrook Pike at Ball Camp. The store has a new manager, Kim Tabaku, who previously managed a Food City in Loudon County. Junior Sneed, former manager, was promoted into a management training program, she said.
Kim Tabaku
Food City recognizes staff at the store with the most donations, and the Ball Camp store has finished first for two consecutive years. “We just talk to customers,” said Tabaku, adding that store personnel take seriously the opportunity to fund research by many individuals making a small contribution.
Betsi James, special events manager for Food City’s Knoxville and Chattanooga divisions, became active in fundraising for research into Type 1 diabetes because her niece has the condition.
JDRF became Breakthrough T1D in a rebranding effort to recognize that older folks have type 1 diabetes as well as juveniles. There is currently no cure. Type 2 diabetes is an adult-onset condition that can sometimes be reversed with lifestyle changes (losing weight, changing diet, exercise).
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, or doesn’t produce insulin at all. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels by moving glucose from the bloodstream into cells, where it can be used for energy.
“Cures for T1D are a matter of when, not if,” says Aaron J. Kowalski Ph.D., CEO of Breakthrough T1D. “We are closer than ever to taking off our devices and walking away from the condition for good.”
Flash Black
Marsh was wearing a red pin, the symbol for Flash Black, an active volunteer for Breakthrough T1D, who died on June 19, 2024, in Knoxville. Flash was an actor in the Powell Playhouse and did home renovations with his son, Rock Black, in Flip or Flop with Flash and Rock.
His obituary called for memorial donations to T1D: In lieu of flowers the family is asking that you donate to JDRF now Breakthrough T1D in his honor with this link.
Woody Woods, Kim Tabaku and Robert Gladwin, Food City; Lori Marsh, Breakthrough T1D; Betsi James, Food City special events manager; Greg Sparks, Food City senior vice president and COO; Katie Penny, Food City executive vice president of operations; and Steven Jones, Food City district manager.