Wegmans kicked off its annual Check Out Hunger campaign on October 22 at more than 20 Rochester-area stores – with 100 percent of donations benefiting Foodlink.
The 32nd annual fundraiser encourages shoppers to round up or donate a few dollars when they check out at the store to help support their local food bank. The companywide campaign runs through November 29 in nine states along the East Coast.
“Every dollar counts in the fight against hunger, and we can’t thank our customers and employees enough for helping fight food insecurity right in our own neighborhoods,” said Linda Lovejoy, Wegmans’ community relations manager. “This campaign not only provides our local food bank partners with funding as we head into the busy holiday season, but it also supports their programs throughout the year.”
Although the initiative is companywide, it started right here in Rochester back in 1993, thanks to a partnership between Foodlink founder Tom Ferraro and Mary Ellen Burris, Wegmans’ Director of Consumer Affairs. The campaign raised more than $700,000 for Foodlink last year, and nearly $16 million locally since its inception.
Donations help fund many of Foodlink’s food-related programs and support its food-banking operations during a time of great need across its 10-county service area. According to the latest data, more than 160,000 people in our region experience food insecurity, meaning they have limited or uncertain access to enough healthy food.
“This is a critical time to support our work,” said Julia Tedesco, President & CEO of Foodlink. “Demand for food assistance is already high, and we fully expect more families to turn to the emergency food system in crisis in the months ahead due to anticipated disruptions and changes to SNAP benefits at the federal level. We are grateful for Wegmans and their customers for continuing to support this campaign and our mission for more than three decades.”
For more information about Check Out Hunger, visit www.FoodlinkNY.org.
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