BALTIMORE, MD — The Maryland Food Bank accepted a $50,000 gift from The Wawa Foundation to help provide ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable snacks like baby carrots, sliced apples, and mini-cucumbers in kid-friendly packaging with meals distributed through the food bank’s Supper Club Program.
As part of this initiative, volunteers from Wawa also spent time preparing and packing healthy meals at the Maryland Food Bank on Hunger Action Day on Sept. 10.
By supporting the food bank’s Healthy Produce Snacks Initiative, The Wawa Foundation aims to nourish children’s bodies and minds, helping them to develop good eating habits and grow strong.
“The Fly Beyond Key Issue Grant is a significant effort to fight food insecurity in our communities and will focus on programs emphasizing that good, nutritious food can build health habits, support the success of students and help them thrive,” said Elizabeth Simone, president of The Wawa Foundation, in a news release. “Not only are we proud to support the Maryland Food Bank’s Supper Clubs by funding single-serving, ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable snacks, but our associates from local Maryland Stores enjoyed volunteering at the Food Bank to assemble the snack packs for youth in the Maryland community.”
The Maryland Food Bank Supper Club Program provides free, nutritious meals to hungry kids participating in after-school programs across the state. In adherence with nutrition standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meals are made fresh daily by Maryland Food Bank chefs and volunteers in the Charles T. Bauer Community Kitchen, using local produce and other nutritious ingredients.
“Support from community partners like The Wawa Foundation is absolutely critical to our mission, especially as we continue to place significant importance on not only providing more meals, but providing more nutritious meals to our neighbors,” said Elise Krikau, chief philanthropy officer at the Maryland Food Bank in a statewment. “We know that kids across that state need more access to healthy snacks and fresh produce. We are grateful to Wawa for this partnership and for all that they are doing with Wawa’s Fly Beyond key issue grant.”
The Maryland Food Bank is a nonprofit hunger-relief organization dedicated to feeding people, strengthening communities, and ending hunger for more Marylanders by partnering with local organizations from the western mountains to the Eastern Shore. The food bank’s statewide network of food assistance provides more than 114,000 meals every day (over 41 million meals annually) to hungry children, seniors, veterans, and families.
