Buffalo advocate continues tradition, offers Thanksgiving meals to East Side families

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A Thanksgiving tradition continued this year for Mark Talley and his Agents for Advocacy program.

Ever since the Tops mass shooting, Talley, in honor of his mother Geraldine, who tragically died in that shooting, created the Agents for Advocacy program. The program gives back to the Buffalo community -- and this is one of the ways he gives back.

This is the second year of Talley’s annual Thanksgiving giveaway. Agents for Advocacy handed out more than 100 meals, which went to people in need of some comfort this holiday.

Talley said this effort is very important to him. He worked with Open Buffalo, another local organization, preparing for weeks in making the food and assembling the staff in order to put on a successful event.

“Most people, if they don't have any family, they hate the holidays,” Talley said. “If they know they can't afford anything, they don't want to hear or see people talking about it or discuss it. So knowing I’m helping people that's in the area who truly need this and seeing them sometimes cry not knowing where they were going to get their meal from, it definitely feels truly rewarding.”

“You see a lot of organizations doing things around the holidays, but it's another thing to give yourself and to commit to the people on the holidays,” said Devon Patterson of Open Buffalo. “That's all it is -- trying to give back to the community with a hot meal one at a time.”

Agents for Advocacy had volunteers, community members and several members of the University at Buffalo football team helping at the event.

Talley plans on continuing to give back to the Buffalo community in other ways, as well. He's also trying to provide grants and scholarships to children throughout Buffalo and Western New York.

The giving does not end with Thanksgiving, either. Talley said that later this holiday season, he plans on giving gifts to children in Buffalo for Christmas.