When the Fairfax, Virginia Wegmans opened in 2005, it was the second location in the commonwealth for the family company. 15 years later, we are preparing to open our fourth store in Fairfax County on November 4th at Capital One Center in Tysons. Over the years, our stores, leadership teams, and employees have built lasting relationships throughout the county. In 2019 alone, the three stores in Fairfax, Alexandria, and Chantilly contributed a combined total of nearly $300,000 to the community through 770 donations and local event sponsorships.

“From supporting yearly events like Celebrate Fairfax to providing food banks with daily food donations from our stores, we believe it is important to give back to these wonderful communities,” said Chris Holland, Wegmans Virginia Division Community Relations coordinator.

One of our highest giving priorities is providing food for people at risk of hunger. Our yearly Check Out Hunger campaigns have raised more than $1.1 million for hunger relief in Fairfax County since 2005 and in 2019, the three stores collected nearly 48,000 pounds of food during our Fill the Bus campaign. The food and funds donated through these programs were provided to three Fairfax County food banks – Capital Area Food Bank (Lorton Branch), Western Fairfax Christian Ministries, and Food for Others. At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, we gave over $141,000 to these organizations in order to provide assistance directly to people in need. In addition, on October 9th our Tysons store presented a check for $5,000 to Food for Others to assist with restocking their shelves following an increased demand for their services due to the pandemic. All of our stores also participate in our Perishable Pick-up Program, which provides local food pantries and food banks with safe–to–eat and wholesome perishable food from our stores throughout the week.

Our Fairfax stores partner with local food banks like Food for Others to fight hunger in the community.

We believe in being a great neighbor in all the communities where we have stores and in helping our customers, and our own employees, live healthier, better lives. In 2012 our Fairfax County stores began a partnership with Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia. Each year, we provide finish–line hospitality for their four 5k events, additional items for fundraising events, and a cash contribution. This year, we’ve provided $18,000 to the organization, making us one of their largest sponsors. In 2018, we contributed $25,000 to La Cocina for their bilingual culinary training program, which prepares low–income individuals for meaningful careers in the food industry. While the pandemic caused many events to be canceled this year, some races moved online. The Tysons store contributed $500 to the virtual Food for Others 5K and Fun Run, held in late September. Supporting a variety of local events and organizations enables our stores to connect with the local neighborhoods where they work and live.

Our employees also feel strongly about the communities surrounding our stores. We feel that one of the most efficient ways to get needed funds to agencies that get measurable results is by contributing to the local United Way. In 2019, our three Fairfax County stores donated nearly $140,000 to the United Way of the National Capital Area. The funds were raised through employee and company contributions.

We’ve long believed that we can only achieve our goals if we first fulfill the needs of our people. Every year, college students working at our stores who meet work and grade requirements receive tuition-assistance scholarships that are renewable for four years. Since 2005, we’ve awarded over $1 million to scholarship recipients at our three Fairfax County stores. In addition, the three stores employ more than 1,500 full- and part-time employees, many of whom work at Wegmans as they complete college degrees, start families, and build careers for themselves. The Tysons store will employ an additional 425 people, the majority of whom were hired locally.

“The Fairfax, Alexandria, and Chantilly stores have connected with many great organizations over the years and we can’t wait to build on those relationships,” said Tysons Store Manager Kevin Russell. “We look forward to making a difference in Fairfax County.”

Wegmans Tysons opens at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, November 4th. For more information about the new store, visit our website at www.wegmans.com/tysons.