Wegmans New Burlington Store Donates Food to People Helping People

Courtesy Photo: All the volunteers from the Wegmans food delivery on Oct. 3 stand in front of the Wegmans truck. This was the first of three truckloads totaling more than 13,000 pounds of food from Wegmans that will be delivered to People Helping People, Burlington’s community food pantry in the next six months.

Wegmans Food Markets delivered a 4,453-pound donation of non-perishable food to People Helping People, the Burlington community food pantry, on Friday, Oct. 3. This was the first of three small truckloads totaling more than 13,000 pounds of food that will be spread over the next six months to help accommodate space constraints at the food pantry.

“Our shelves are fully stocked through donations from businesses, organizations and individuals,” said Jane McIninch, Food Pantry Co-Coordinator. “We support Burlington families and rely on people and partnerships throughout Burlington to function. We are excited to welcome Wegman’s and to see their commitment to our community.”

Burlington Store Manager Kevin Russell and a group from Wegmans visited People Helping People in the months leading up to the store opening to understand the pantry’s needs and build a partnership for Wegmans food donations moving forward. When the truck arrives at the pantry, Russell and other employees from the store will help unload the 6 pallets of canned fruits, vegetables, soups, juices, cereals, granola bars, peanut butter, and assorted pastas.

“This is just the start of our commitment to making a difference in Burlington,” said Russell. “We’ve already seen what a welcoming and caring community this is, and we’re eager to give back just as all good neighbors do.”

In 2013, Wegmans donated 16.5 million pounds of food to local food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens across all of its market areas. The company also makes it easy for shoppers to support local hunger relief efforts by participating in annual food bank scanning programs at checkout. Since 1993, Wegmans has raised more than $24 million through these programs with 100 percent of the funds going directly to local agencies.

Wegmans Burlington is set to open at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26.

For more information, visit wegmans.com/Burlington. For career opportunities, applications are being accepted online at wegmans.com/careers.