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Wegmans file photo
Wegmans file photo

Wegmans customers donate $2.5 million to hunger relief

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Thu, Jan 23rd 2025 10:50 am

Wegmans Press Release

Customers of Wegmans Food Market stores raised more than $2.5 million during the company’s fall 2024 hunger relief checkout scanning campaign, known regionally as “Check Out Hunger” or “Together Against Hunger.” This campaign allows customers to donate any amount at checkout, with 100% of the proceeds going to each store's local Feeding America food bank partner.

“Our scan campaigns bring awareness to the rising issue of hunger in our community, and make it easy for our customers to donate to their local food banks,” said Linda Lovejoy, Wegmans community relations manager. “We cannot thank our customers and employees enough for their generosity during these campaigns each year.”

The money raised during Wegmans’ annual checkout campaign is critical to the work the recipient food banks do throughout the year.

"Wegmans' ‘Check Out Hunger’ campaign has been the most critical fundraiser for Foodlink for more than 30 years," said Julia Tedesco, president and CEO of Foodlink. "Our food-banking operations and many of our programs that address the root causes of food insecurity rely on this annual campaign to serve thousands of our neighbors, and we are grateful to Wegmans and their customers for this ongoing support."

The 2024 companywide campaign ran from Oct. 23 through Nov. 30. However, in response to Hurricane Helene, Wegmans’ four North Carolina stores launched their campaign early (on Oct. 1) to assist with disaster relief efforts.

“When the hurricane hit, so many people – including our employees and customers – were looking for a safe, secure way to help their neighbors in need,” Lovejoy said. “We opened our scan campaign early to fill that need, and we were blown away by the results; customers donated more than double what was raised in 2023.”

Customers’ donations stay in their local community, with all proceeds going to each store’s local food bank. Locally, FeedMore WNY received $444,769 from 11 stores in the greater Buffalo area.

Since its inception over 30 years ago, Wegmans’ “Check Out Hunger” campaign has raised more than $55 million for hunger relief. Every June, Wegmans stores also hold a companywide “Fill the Bus” campaign to help local food banks stock up for their summer meal programs. In 2024, these two scan campaigns raised more than $3.2 million to help reduce hunger. In addition, Wegmans’ stores provide daily food donations of unsaleable perishable foods to local food banks, financial assistance via corporate gifts, and sponsorship for various events or fundraisers. Learn more about Wegmans community giving here.

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