Gleaners received a generous $10,000 grant from the Wawa Foundation to go toward its School-Based Pantry program.
Gleaners’ School-Based Pantry network currently takes place within more than 60 schools throughout our 21-county service area. This grant from Wawa will help a network that, last year, helped distribute 1.5 million meals, including 31% of fresh produce, to surrounding communities.
Gleaners received this grant through the Wawa Foundation’s Fly Beyond Fund.
Each pantry is open to students and families of the school community and operates at least once a month during the school year. An increasing number of pantries are open to the general public and operate multiple times a month.
With schools often being a central location, individuals experiencing food insecurity are able to receive a regular supplement of nutrient-dense menu items from a convenient spot.
“We are not just focused on feeding people and filling a belly, but we always want to give people nutritious food and access and other resources to make sure they have the tools to thrive,” said Camille Stephens, Gleaners’ director of marketing.
Wawa’s Fly Beyond program focuses on providing fresh food to communities.
This grant will help us do that and we are incredibly grateful to the Wawa Foundation for their commitment to supporting kids in our service area, making sure they receive access to the healthy food they need to succeed.
As Wawa makes plans to expand into Indiana, we’re very honored to be among the first food banks in the Midwest to partner with the Fly Beyond mission!