THE FOOD BANK OF SOUTH JERSEY AND THE WAWA FOUNDATION PARTNER TO TAKE SUMMER HUNGER
OFF THE TABLE FOR SOUTH JERSEY YOUTH
The Wawa Foundation’s $100,000 Donation will Help Provide Healthy Snacks and Meals to Kids
in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem Counties
PENNSAUKEN, NJ (June 5, 2023) – The Food Bank of South Jersey, the area’s largest hunger-relief organization, is pleased to kick-off the 2023 summer season by announcing its partnership with The Wawa Foundation. To encourage others in the community, The Foundation will be matching up to $100,000 in contributions to support the Food Bank’s Summer Meals program, which provides healthy snacks and meals to children in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties during the summer months when free- and reduced-school meals are not available.
“When the final class bells ring, youth across our region are suddenly left without the school meals they rely on to get through their days,” said Fred Wasiak, President and CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey. “Thousands of students across the state receive free school breakfasts and lunches, which means thousands of New Jersey’s kids could go to sleep hungry without programs like Summer Meals.”
In South Jersey, 1 in 11 children are food insecure. And with the burden of sky-high inflation, rising food prices, and the end of emergency SNAP benefits, even more families may be struggling this summer.
“We are proud to support our partners at the South Jersey Food Banks to make healthy snacks and meals available to youth in our communities through this summer initiative, and we hope to inspire others to do the same,” said Maria Kalogredis, Chairperson of The Wawa Foundation Board. “A focus area for The Wawa Foundation is fighting hunger and food insecurity, and we believe this important initiative both reduces hunger and provides fresh, nutritious options to help kids thrive.”
The Wawa Foundation’s generous donation will provide nearly 35,000 Summer Meals for the area’s youth.
“School ending shouldn’t mean meals ending for children in South Jersey,” continued Wasiak, “and thanks to our partners at The Wawa Foundation, it won’t.”
View photos from the Summer Meals kick-off event in Camden here.
About The Wawa Foundation
As an extension of Wawa’s commitment to making the world a better place by fulfilling customers’ lives every day, it launched The Wawa Foundation in 2014. The Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded by Wawa, Inc. to support the company’s charitable giving and philanthropic activities – and ultimately to help build happier, stronger communities. The Foundation focuses its support on organizations committed to health, hunger, and everyday heroes through local, state, and national grants and / or in-store fundraising, such as, donation boxes and point-of-purchase scan materials. Since 2014, The Wawa Foundation has contributed more than $136 million to nonprofit partners supporting health, hunger and everyday heroes.
About the Food Bank of South Jersey
The Food Bank of South Jersey believes that no one should go to bed hungry. Since 1985, it has served the children, families, and seniors of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem counties by distributing safe and healthy food, providing nutrition education and cooking courses, and developing sustainable pathways for neighbors to improve their lives. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and member of Feeding America, FBSJ distributed 15 million meals in 2022, through direct distributions and its network of more than 200 partner agencies. For more information, visit FoodBankSJ.org.
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