On July 23, the first Wegmans store in Connecticut will open to the public, welcoming neighbors from the Norwalk community and beyond. However, the store team has already established relationships with many local nonprofit organizations and businesses, contributing nearly $50,000 to the community through donations and event sponsorships.
“We learned from our employees about what is important to the community and where we can make our biggest impact,” said Norwalk Service Manager Cody Nunn. “They connected us with some great local nonprofits, and food banks, and the city helped us locate other organizations to partner with to make an impact in the area we’re serving.”
The Norwalk team’s first community sponsorship was for a summer concert in August 2024 presented by Open Doors to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Following the event, Cody and Norwalk Store Manager, Emily Gee, visited the Open Doors’ facility to learn more about their services.
“They do so many amazing things for the community; they have a food pantry, a soup kitchen, they help with housing, and they have a clothing closet where people can shop for clothes that have been donated. They also have medical offices, a career resource center, and financial resources. They have every resource under the sun,” said Cody.
In November 2024, the Norwalk store donated $1,000 worth of non-perishable products and reusable bags to Open Doors to help fill the shelves of their food pantry. In early 2025, a group of Wegmans managers cooked a meal and delivered it to the Open Door’s kitchen to serve their clients.
“A lot of the team at Open Doors is working six or seven days a week just to make sure that the community has meals,” said Cody. “We wanted to take a portion of that off their plate by providing a meal and giving them a bit of a break.”
Partnering to End Food Insecurity
Doing our part to combat food insecurity is one of the things we’re most passionate about at Wegmans. In March 2025, the team donated over 200 cases of nonperishable products to the Norwalk Community College Food Pantry to help their students access free, wholesome food. After the store opens, the pantry will be one of the Norwalk store’s perishable pickup partners, receiving weekly donations of unsaleable perishable food items.
Connecticut Foodshare and Food Rescue US will also receive daily donations through the store’s perishable pickup program. In addition, Connecticut Foodshare will benefit from our annual customer scan campaigns, and in late June 2025, the Norwalk team presented the foodbank with a $10,000 donation to support their mission of ending hunger by distributing nutritious food throughout the area.
“Connecticut Foodshare is incredibly thankful to Wegmans for this generous donation as the supermarket opens its new Norwalk location. At a time when so many people in our communities are facing increased need, this support will go a long way in helping us provide nutritious food to our neighbors in Fairfield County and across the state who are food insecure. We’re thrilled to welcome Wegmans to Connecticut and look forward to continuing our partnership with Wegmans and teaming up to fight hunger,” said Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare.
Supporting Local Youth
Our Norwalk store will provide employment for dozens of young people, with positions available starting at 16 years old. For some employees, including Cody and Emily, their first job has turned into a successful career in part due to the wide variety of internship, training, and advancement programs we offer. Our Employee Scholarship Program is another benefit that has helped thousands of people to attain their college degree by providing millions in tuition assistance each year. In June, the Norwalk store presented 10 local seniors from Norwalk High School, Brien McMahon High School, and J.M. Wright Technical High School with a $500 scholarship grant each as a symbolic nod to our Employee Scholarship Program.
The Norwalk team also provided donations to the Norwalk Education Foundation and Horizons at CT State Norwalk.
Looking Forward
With opening day quickly approaching, the Norwalk team doesn’t have any plans of slowing down. They’ve committed to sponsoring the Norwalk Oyster Festival, donating a CPR kit to the Norwalk Girls Softball League, and continuing to partner with the United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut, providing weekly employee donations and more.
“We’re just getting started,” said Cody. “We’re looking forward to getting involved in events throughout the community and volunteering our time with local organizations. We want to build upon what we’ve already accomplished and be a staple for the community.”
Wegmans Norwalk opens at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 23. For more information about our commitment to being a good neighbor in every community we serve, visit our website at Community Giving - Wegmans.