Through partnerships with like-minded colleges and universities, we’re focused on making an impact in the communities we serve. We recently partnered with North Carolina State University, Villanova University in Pennsylvania, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to host food drives benefitting food pantries in each community. For each drive, we collect customer donations at bins in our local stores, make monetary donations to each pantry, and advertise in stores and at athletic events at each university.

NC State, January 18-February 18, 2023

The Pack the Pantry food drive at NC State benefits the on-campus, student-run food pantry, Feed the Pack. The Wolfpack athletics team worked closely with our West Cary, Raleigh, and Wake Forest Wegmans leadership teams to address food insecurity for students on campus.

Feed the Pack has been serving students in need for over 10 years, providing food and personal hygiene items. This is the second year Wegmans has participated in Pack the Pantry, collecting over 600 pounds of food. This year, the drive brought in 1,361.8 pounds of food, online monetary donations that went directly to the pantry, and a monetary donation from Wegmans.

Mike Sage, Director of Business Development with Wolfpack Sports Properties, the multimedia rights holder for NC State Athletics, says the involvement from Wegmans was crucial in making the drive a success, including staffing a donation booth at the men’s home basketball game on February 4.

“The store teams were incredible to work with,” said Sage. “From signage and promotion to the logistics of collecting items, they really took the lead and made it a wonderful experience for our staff and students.”

The Wolfpack celebrated the success of Pack the Pantry at a home basketball game on Wednesday, February 22, where the pantry was presented with a check for Feed the Pack.

Villanova, February 1-28, 2023

At Villanova, students and fans donated food items at a Wegmans booth at the Men’s basketball game on February 8, the Women’s basketball game on February 11, and at our King of Prussia and Malvern stores. Donations for the Pack the Pantry drive benefitted the Upper Merion Area Community Cupboard, a non-profit organization that Wegmans has partnered with for years to address community need.

“This is the first year we have partnered with Wegmans and it’s a collaboration that makes sense for both organizations,” said Steve Herman, Manager of Business Development for Villanova Sports Properties. “The Villanova values of caring for others and our community align well with Wegmans’ values. It is a relationship we hope lasts for years to come.”

Through food and monetary donations, the Villanova Pack the Pantry food drive brought in the equivalent of 7,738 meals.

UNC, March 1-29, 2023

The UNC athletic department is currently working to “Fill the Pantry” for the UNC Health FoodWell, which was established in 2020 to eliminate immediate concerns about food for discharging patients and their families. The UNC football team has hosted food drives for the hospital’s pantry for several years, and this year, partnered with Wegmans in an effort to boost donations to match the increased need for healthy meals following hospital stays and outpatient visits.

“At UNC Health, we are fortunate to have nutritionists on staff who have developed a list of healthy food products that are easy for families to prepare once they are home,” said Eli Jordfald, executive director of healthcare philanthropy. “Wegmans has been incredibly accommodating, focusing the food drive on these approved foods to align perfectly with our goal of providing healthy foods for food-insecure families.”

A list of needed items is posted near the donation bins at the Chapel Hill store. UNC Health is hoping to gather food donations equivalent to feeding 200 families for five days.

“We are so thankful to our customers for supporting our efforts and the communities we serve,” said Linda Lovejoy, Wegmans community relations manager. “Food drives like this wouldn’t be possible without them.”