VIDALIA — Since the first Miss-Lou Relay for Life in 1996, one local team has raised more than $250,000 for the American Cancer Society.

The Markets received an award at Friday’s 18th annual Relay event for most money raised at last year’s event with more than $30,000.

The company’s team has been on board with Relay since its inception 18 years ago, and Retail Operations Director Barry Loy said he is proud of his team’s accomplishment.

“The Markets have always been community-oriented, and we believe in giving back to the people that make us successful,” he said.

One of The Markets biggest Relay fundraisers is its rib-eye steak dinners. Loy said the company sells the $12 dinners in the spring, and half of the proceeds go to Relay and the other half to pay for food.

Loy estimates The Markets have cooked approximately 3,000 steaks this year for the fundraiser.

The reward is more than worth the work, Loy said.

“Nobody goes untouched by cancer,” he said. “My mom passed away from cancer, and we’ve had many employees who have had cancer or have been affected by it. That’s why we believe in this good cause.

Relay accounting chair Janis Holder said Relay organizers can always count on The Markets’ support for anything they need.

“They’re so community-minded,” she said. “They’re always there to help people out whenever they are needed.”

The money The Markets has raised in the past 18 years for Relay for Life is “truly incredible,” Holder said.

“It’s incredible for one team to have raised a quarter of $1 million and in our little community,” she said. “It’s just amazing. There’s just not enough adjectives to describe how incredible that is.”

The Miss-Lou Relay for Life’s lofty fundraising work has garnered several awards for the event in recent years, including being ranked fifth nationally in fundraising per capita and regularly placing in the top five for total fundraising in the event’s district.

It would not be possible, Holder said, without the ongoing support from teams like The Markets and the entire community.

“We just could not do it without The Markets and all of our sponsors and teams,” she said.