Wakefern Food Corp. is helping its neighbors in need by donating excess and unopened food products to the Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Distribution Services (MCFOODS).
Since launching the program last summer, Wakefern has donated over 12,000 pounds of food to the organization.
“Supporting regional food banks has always been a top priority for Wakefern and our member companies,” Karen Meleta, chief communications officer for Wakefern, said in a statement provided by BML Public Relations. “We’re especially excited about this partnership with MCFOODS because it allows us to provide a constant pipeline of fresh produce, foods and other products directly to the local communities we serve.”
As part of this partnership, Wakefern provides MCFOODS with a weekly supply of fresh, unopened items that have been procured as part of internal events or product workshops.
Donated products change on a weekly basis, but goods such as juice, cereal, oils, canned products, and fresh produce are frequently provided to MCFOODS, according to the statement.
After picking up the items, MCFOODS distributes the products to its network of over 140 Middlesex County-based pantries.
“We are grateful for the consistent and generous contributions received through this partnership with Wakefern, which allows us to provide fresh, healthy and nutritious foods and other household essentials for our residents struggling to make ends meet,” Jennifer Apostol, director of MCFOODS, said in the statement. “These donations have a tremendous impact in our community.”
MCFOODS is operated by the Middlesex County Department of Community Services with support of the Board of Commissioners. The organization was created in 1994 to help achieve food security and provide access to nutritionally adequate food and other basic necessities to all residents in Middlesex County.
In 2020, MCFOODS received and distributed over 4.3 million pounds of food including fresh produce, dairy and meat products, according to the statement.
Residents are welcome to drop off food donations to the MCFOODS warehouse, which is located at 28 Kennedy Blvd., Suite 850, East Brunswick. For more information, visit www.middlesexcountynj.gov/Government/Departments/CS/Pages/Mcfoods/MCFOODS.aspx
The partnership with MCFOODS is part of Wakefern’s ongoing commitment to support communities where its stores operate, including ShopRite’s signature Partners in Caring (SRPIC) initiative that, since 1999, has raised more than $51 million for local food pantries and agencies, according to the statement. Each year SRPIC distributes roughly $3.1 million to 2,500 food pantries across the northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
