10 years ago, Wegmans was first introduced to the Richmond, Virginia, area when we opened the hiring offices for our Midlothian and Short Pump stores. While the stores didn’t open until May and August of 2016, our management teams spent the months leading up to opening day hiring and training 1,000 new employees and making connections with local organizations.
In 2023, we expanded our commitment to the region when we opened our newest warehouse, the Virginia Service Center (VSC) in the Richmond suburb of Ashland, VA. The VSC employs nearly 600 people, and partners with many of the same organizations as our local stores, helping to further our commitment to making a difference in the Richmond community.
Fighting Food Insecurity and Waste
Over the last decade, Feed More and our other local food bank partners have received millions of pounds of food from our stores and distribution center, helping to combat both food insecurity and food waste. Our stores provide unsaleable perishable food to local agencies six days a week through our perishable pickup program, with each store donating approximately 250,000 pounds of food last year. In addition, the Midlothian store donates food scraps to the Richmond Metro Zoo three times a week to help feed their animals, providing 35,000 pounds annually.
Due to the size of the warehouse, our VSC has a higher volume of products to donate compared to each individual store. They make weekly donations to Feed More, providing items from frozen foods, meat, dairy, and shelf-stable groceries. In 2024, the VSC donated over 1.1 million pounds of food to Feed More.
“All these items stay in the local area,” said David DeMascole, Wegmans Vice President of Supply Chain Planning and Design. “They’re distributed through Feed More’s partner food pantries to people all over the region.”
Feed More is also the beneficiary of our two stores’ annual customer scan campaigns: Fill the Bus, held every June, and Check Out Hunger, in the fall. These campaigns raise critical funds to support food-insecure families throughout the year. Since 2016, the stores have raised over $200,000 for Feed More through these campaigns.
“The magnitude of our partnership with Wegmans Food Markets has been extraordinary,” said Feed More President and CEO Dennis Hatchett. “Since 2016, their steadfast generosity through donations of nutritious food and vital funds has helped Feed More provide more than 5.4 million meals to children, families, and seniors facing hunger across Central Virginia. We simply couldn’t do what we do without hunger-fighting partners like Wegmans. Their dedication and commitment to community has truly made a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.”
Community Connections
We’re devoted to being a good neighbor in the Richmond community by working together with local organizations to help improve lives and make our neighborhoods stronger. Our Midlothian and Short Pump stores donate approximately $120,000 annually through event sponsorships and donations. This includes sponsoring the annual Wegmans 10K Turkey Trot, hosting a float and walking in the Dominion Christmas Parade, and partnering with the Richmond Children’s Museum to maintain our mini-Wegmans grocery store for hundreds of children to enjoy. The store teams also volunteer with Henrico Christmas Mothers, sponsor the Tacky Light Run, hand out water and snacks at the Richmond MS Walk, and support dozens of other events each year.
Prior to opening, the VSC team contributed over $300,000 to the local community through sponsorships and donations. Since 2023, they’ve continued to grow their partnerships with local organizations while also seeking out new ways to give back to the community. This includes connecting with Virginia Union University to create a $300,000 endowment program providing scholarships for underprivileged students in Hanover County. The team also donated $20,000 to SwimRVA to support their “drown proof Richmond” initiative, which provides swimming lessons to second grade students in the region.
In January 2025, the Richmond area experienced a water outage after a power failure at the local water treatment plant. Due to the proximity of the VSC, our stores were able to quickly stock bottled water to fulfill customers’ needs. The VSC also donated truckloads of water to the local distribution points for community members, contributing $35,000 worth of water to Hanover and Henrico Counties.
“It was so rewarding that we could get water from the warehouse to our customers within a few hours, where before the warehouse opened, it would have taken a day or two for it to arrive,” said Midlothian Store Manager Todd Strassner. “This is just one of the reasons it’s invaluable to have the distribution center in our local area.”
Supporting Local Business
Whenever we open a store in a new market, we always seek out local products to sell. Our Midlothian and Short Pump stores carry local products from Salsas Don Sebastian, Hubs Peanuts, Sabra Hummus, AR’s Hot Honey, Virginia Diner Peanuts, Parkers Peanuts, Savannah Grace Cheese Straws, Red Rooster Coffee, and Blanchard’s Coffee. Our customers look forward to picking up their favorite local items while shopping for the rest of their everyday groceries, and we enjoy supporting nearby businesses.
We also look for regional vendors to partner with for various services. In 2024, the VSC spent $17.8 million with local vendors in and around the Greater Richmond area. From third party transportation support, to landscaping, to employee uniform services, we’re investing in the local economy by supporting other companies that are based right in the Richmond area.
The Next 10 Years
Over the next decade, our stores and VSC look forward to continuing their service to the Richmond community through impactful partnerships with local community organizations and by providing our customers with the best shopping experience possible.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the support of our customers and neighbors in the Richmond region,” said Strassner. “It’s been our honor to serve this community, and we can’t wait to see what the next 10 years will bring.”