Pennsylvania-based c-store chains Sheetz and Wawa have put rivalry aside to provide emergency relief to some of the state’s food banks, including Helping Harvest, which collects, purchases, stores and distributes over seven million pounds of food annually to the more than 320 programs that feed the hungry in Berks and Schuylkill Counties, Pa.
Employees from both chains delivered 500 lunches to Helping Harvest, which will identify quarantined senior citizens who are most in need and deliver the lunches directly to them. The companies also donated $2,000 each to provide hunger relief to those in need.
“I’m so pleased to say ‘thank you’ to Wawa and Sheetz, helping us feed our hungriest neighbors in need. Thank you so much for all you do. We really need your help now more than ever,” said Helping Harvest President Jay Worrall.
Helping Harvest serves hundreds of food pantries in Pennsylvania and has seen an increase in demand for its services since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“These are tough times we’re trying to navigate. We are proud to partner with Sheetz to fight hunger in our communities,” said Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens. “We’re in this together.”
Helping Harvest took to Twitter to thank c-store chains Wawa and Sheetz for their donations.
Both Sheetz and Wawa have recently announced other donations and initiatives to help their communities during COVID-19.
The Wawa Foundation announced the designation of $150,000 to 21 Feeding America Food Bank Partners throughout Wawa’s footprint of nearly 900 stores from its COVID-19 Emergency Food Distribution Fund. The organizations will each receive COVID-19 Emergency Food Distribution Funds ranging from $34,000 to $1,000 to address the crisis of hunger in their communities.
Recently, during Wawa’s annual recognition of its founding week on April 13, the company announced they had earmarked an additional $250,000 to provide food and necessary supplies to communities impacted by COVID-19 due to school closures, employment disruptions and health risks. The $150,000 being distributed represents the first wave of the funds in action. As of April 21, a remainder of $100,000 COVID-19 funds were available for food banks and non-profits to apply for.
Sheetz recently announced that it will donate $100,000 to Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization working to help people who confront enormous hardship to recover from disasters. This donation will go directly to Direct Relief’s COVID-19 fund to provide protective gear and critical care items to health workers and medical facilities across the U.S. as they work tirelessly to heal those diagnosed with COVID-19.
Sheetz customers can donate their loyalty points to support Feeding America, directly through the Sheetz App.
Sheetz is also matching donations, up to $50,000, to Direct Relief through a unique charity esports tournament. On April 24, Sheetz is inviting all of its fans and followers to join a live streaming invitational tournament — where participants can pledge funds for Direct Relief. Sheetz will sponsor the tournament, joining with hosts, the Pittsburgh Knights esports team and GFuel. Donations can be made directly through “Sheetz Live” on Twitch.
Sheetz customers can also donate their loyalty points to support Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the country, directly through the Sheetz App, through June 30. For every 200 points a customer donates, $1 will be donated to Feeding America, and Sheetz will match donations up to $100,000.
In addition, nearly five tons of food, including a variety of snacks and drinks, will be donated directly to hospitals in the communities Sheetz serves. These donations will help fuel medical personnel including doctors, nurses, hospital staff and more as they work around the clock to deliver life-saving care to those fighting COVID-19.
