Wegmans teams up with FeedMore WNY to provide 1,200 holiday meals for community members in need

Holiday boxes cap record-breaking year of nearly $1.3 million in donations from Wegmans to FeedMore WNY

December 17, 2020

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is providing nutritious food and spreading holiday cheer with a donation of 1,200 holiday food boxes to FeedMore WNY. The boxes include staple holiday items such as potatoes, stuffing, gravy, vegetables, fruit, sweet potatoes, juice, apple and cranberry sauces, soup and desserts. FeedMore WNY will distribute the holiday food boxes to member agencies across its four-county service area of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties. Community members in need will access the agencies to receive the food boxes, along with a protein such as a ham, turkey or chicken, to make their holiday meal complete.

Wegmans kicked off the holiday food box deliveries with a distribution at Gerard Place on Bailey Avenue in Buffalo on Friday, December 18. The distribution served approximately 100 households. FeedMore WNY hopes to make these distributions an annual tradition and continue to offer holiday food boxes to its agencies in the years to come. Wegmans was proud to serve as the inaugural sponsor of the holiday food boxes and calls on community partners to support FeedMore WNY with a similar donation in future years.

“Wegmans is incredibly proud to kick off a new holiday meal initiative for FeedMore WNY,” Michele Mehaffy, Consumer Affairs manager at Wegmans, said. “We know that the need is even greater this year, and hope that these dinners can help ease some of the burden for struggling families this month.”

The donation of 1,200 holiday food boxes culminates a record-breaking year of donations from Wegmans to support FeedMore WNY. When COVID-19 hit the Western New York area, Wegmans immediately reached out to support FeedMore WNY and food insecure families with a donation of more than $623,000. Through its annual Check Out Hunger campaign, generous Wegmans customers donated more than $506,000 to FeedMore WNY. These generous gifts, along with donations from the proceeds of its paper bag sales, event sponsorships and additional monetary and in-kind donations, total nearly $1.3 million in support of FeedMore WNY’s programs and services.

“FeedMore WNY is overwhelmingly grateful for the generosity, compassion and partnership of Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. and its customers. Wegmans’ steadfast support makes it possible for FeedMore WNY to continue our mission of providing dignity, hope and a brighter future to our Western New York neighbors in need,” Tara A. Ellis, president and CEO of FeedMore WNY, said. “Year after year, in good times and in times of need, Wegmans continues to answer the call to feed hungry children, families, seniors and veterans throughout Western New York. While we always are thankful for their partnership, their support has been especially critical this year as we work tirelessly to respond to the increased need
for food assistance in our community as a result of the pandemic. It is especially wonderful and meaningful to end this year by teaming up with Wegmans to make sure struggling families can sit down together to enjoy a warm, wholesome holiday meal.”