For many, thoughts of summer conjure images of cookouts, pool parties, and campfires, but for the one in eight American children who don’t have consistent access to adequate food, thoughts of summer bring concerns of hunger. During the school year, tens of millions of school-aged children depend on free or reduced-price school lunches and breakfasts. To help ensure kids have access to food on weekends and during school breaks, we’re kicking off our first companywide Fill the Bus customer scan campaign to help our Feeding America food bank partners stock up their summer feeding programs.

“Addressing hunger in our communities is an around-the-clock job, but there are also key times each year where the need is higher, and that certainly includes the summer months when school is out,” explains Linda Lovejoy, Wegmans community relations manager. “While this is our first companywide campaign, we’ve been partnering with food banks in select markets to ‘Fill the Bus’ and provide nutritious meals to kids since 2006.”

The Fill the Bus campaign runs June 4 through June 18, giving customers the opportunity to donate $3, $5, or any amount at checkout, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to each store’s local food bank.

“We are so excited for Fill the Bus and our continued longtime partnership with Wegmans,” said Meghan Parsons, chief development officer, Food Bank of the Southern Tier. “A large majority of food for our BackPack Program, which is funded entirely through private donations, is collected during the Fill the Bus campaign. The support from Wegmans’ shoppers helps us meet the needs of families facing food insecurity.”

While each food bank’s summer feeding program differs, they all focus on providing enough food for families to make a few healthy meals that are easy enough for kids to prepare on their own. Common items distributed through these programs include, cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, milk, juice, peanut butter, Jelly, bread, fresh or canned fruits and vegetable, macaroni and cheese, and canned soup.

“Not only do kids rely heavily on school breakfasts and lunches as a main source of food, but data show school meals also provide quality nutrition” said Wegmans Corporate Nutritionist Kirby Branciforte, RDN. “The food banks do a great job of providing a combination of grains, fruits, veggies, protein, and dairy that can be mixed and matched to make a balanced meal or snack, mimicking the considerations given to school lunches.”

For more information about how our stores make a difference in every community we serve, check out our 2022 Community Impact Report.