LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of Thomas C. Ferraro, distin-
guished citizen and devoted member of his community

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
citizens of the State of New York whose lifework and civic endeavor
served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and the great
State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Thomas "Tom" C. Ferraro, a community leader and life-long
resident of Rochester, New York, died on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at
the age of 67; and
WHEREAS, Tom Ferraro was born on October 10, 1946, the son of Marion
and Alfonso Ferraro; as a youth, he was known for his energetic spirit
and great sense of humor; he spent his spare time playing baseball as a
catcher and was a great pitcher, as well; and
WHEREAS, As an adult, Tom Ferraro developed incredible skills at help-
ing others develop their talents, and consistently provided people with
the tools to reach their full potential; he also showed an incredible
sense of compassion towards those who were less fortunate, particularly
those who did not have enough to eat; and
WHEREAS, In 1978, Tom Ferraro appeared on the Eddie Meath Show to make
a community wide appeal for food donations; a representative of Thomas'
English Muffins called with a massive donation of bread products, but he
would have to find a way to transport them; thinking quickly, Tom Ferra-
ro borrowed an old school bus and started his own regional food bank,
Foodlink; and
WHEREAS, Under this remarkable man's dedicated leadership, the Food-
link Foundation grew from distributing 600,000 pounds of food in 1983,
to providing close to 18 million pounds of food in 2014, to needy fami-
lies in its 10 county service area; and
WHEREAS, Tom Ferraro would serve as executive director of Foodlink for
over 36 years; at the time of its incorporation, it was one of the first
food banks in the United States and has since served as an exemplary
model for other organizations to emulate; and
WHEREAS, Tom Ferraro has also served on the original Feeding America
Board of Directors, helping to develop food banking nationwide; further-
more, he assisted in the creation of the New York State Department of
Health's Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP)
which continues to provide millions of dollars to hunger relief, food
safety, and nutrition education programs each year; and
WHEREAS, In addition to food donations, Tom Ferraro sought to move the
focus beyond the symptoms of hunger and toward its root causes; he firm-
ly believed food banks have a responsibility to engage in workforce and
economic development initiatives, to assist in building the capacity of
other nonprofit organizations, and to be leaders in both public health
and broader food system reforms; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed humanitarian has been the recipient of numerous
distinguished community awards, one of which was the Inaugural Farash
Prize for Social Entrepreneurship, a prestigious community award aimed
at recognizing the best innovative approaches to our society's most
pressing problems; and
WHEREAS, Tom Ferraro distinguished himself as a lifelong anti-hunger
advocate, community leader, and visionary entrepreneur by his sincere
dedication and substantial contribution to the welfare of those he so
diligently served; and
WHEREAS, Predeceased by his father, Alfonso Ferraro; Thomas C. Ferraro
is survived by his mother, Marion (Carr); his wife, Regine Calvar; three
sons, Michael Vito Ferraro, John Thomas Ferraro-Calvar, and Philippe E.

Ferraro-Calvar; and two granddaughters, Victoria and Isabelle; as well
as several aunts and cousins; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Thomas C. Ferraro leaves behind a legacy which will long
endure the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all
he served and befriended; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Thomas C. Ferraro, distinguished citizen and devoted
member of his community; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Thomas C. Ferraro, and The Foodlink Foundation.