Wegmans of Warrington raised more than $32,000 for Bucks County Opportunity Council’s food program
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
For the employees at Wegmans of Warrington, their job is much more than a 9 to 5. It’s an opportunity to go beyond daily duties of stocking shelves and ringing up customers. It’s a chance to make an impact, to give back.
Over the past several years, Bucks County’s singular Wegmans location, 1405 N. Main St., has participated in the corporation’s Care About Hunger campaign, an annual initiative that offers shoppers the chance to add a small donation to their order. All proceeds go toward helping local food banks, with the program raising an impressive $35.5 million for hunger relief since its inception in 1993.
Funds raised at Warrington always benefit the Bucks County Opportunity Council, the lead anti-poverty nonprofit in the county. This year, the store surpassed all expectations, raising a record-breaking $32,043.07 for BCOC’s food program.
According to Heather Foor, the organization’s food program manager, this achievement was largely due to the passion exuded by Wegmans staff members about the campaign. When they weren’t hosting friendly internal fundraising competitions, they were on the floor articulating what Care About Hunger is all about to shoppers, inciting a willingness in them to donate a few cents or dollars.
“The customers are aware of what they’re giving to,” Foor said.
Proceeds from the campaign will benefit the pickup and delivery of privately donated food to BCOC’s network of more than 60 pantries and distribution sites spanning from Bristol to Quakertown.
“Bucks County is so large, it definitely takes resources,” Foor explained.
Last year, the Opportunity Council distributed more than 1.5 million pounds of food with the help of its partners including United Way of Bucks County, St. Mary Medical Center, Rolling Harvest Food Rescue and Philabundance, which operates the free farmers market Fresh Connect.
Created in 2017, the market now boasts three locations in Bristol, Ottsville and most recently, Warminster, which opened on Tuesday, June 12, at Warminster Community Park. The mission of Fresh Connect is to provide healthy produce to low-income families in Bucks County who otherwise couldn’t afford it. Funds raised at Wegmans will be instrumental in making sure the market is stocked for those who need it.
Participants are able to receive 20 pounds of food per week, typically featuring six to eight varieties of produce. Statistics from Fresh Connect’s first year of operations indicate that regular participants have increased their intake of fruits and vegetables by 2.4 servings per day. They also try new recipes and cook healthier meals at home more often. Fresh Connect proved to be a vital resource for more than 250 households on a weekly basis last year, with this number expected to rise thanks to the new Warminster location.
The Warminster market will operate each Tuesday from 11 a.m. to noon at Warminster Community Park, 300 Veterans Way. Interested residents should bring their own shopping bags and be prepared to register onsite. Residents must declare that their income is 200 percent of the federal poverty level or less.
Foor stressed that opportunities such as Fresh Connect and dedicated fundraising partners like Wegmans are especially vital this time of year for low-income families. Kids are home from school, no longer able to take advantage of provided lunches and snacks. It’s now up to their families, who oftentimes simply can’t afford this extra but necessary meal.
“We could not distribute as much food as we do without the help of Wegmans’ Care About Hunger program,” Foor said. “The program makes a big difference in how we operate and the amount we can distribute. We are grateful to Wegmans, their employees and their customers for the support.”
For more information on what Wegmans does in the community, visit wegmans.com/about-us.html. For more on the Bucks County Opportunity Council, visit bcoc.org. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
