Thank you Wegmans, and Wegmans shoppers!

Our 2019 Fill the Bus campaign wrapped up a week ago, and preliminary numbers show that more than 400,000 pounds of products are headed to Foodlink to support our BackPack Program!

This year’s campaign was held at multiple Wegmans locations in the Rochester area between August 25 and Sept. 7. Shoppers had a chance to purchase bags of kid-friendly foods for $3, $5 or $10.

The food will be donated to Foodlink to support the BackPack Program, which helps alleviate childhood hunger in our region. According to the most recent Map the Meal Gap report by Feeding America, more than 48,000 children in our region are considered food insecure, which means they live in a household with limited or uncertain acccess to healthy foods.

Schools throughout our 10-county service area identify children who might be at risk of food insecurity. Each Friday, Foodlink sends bags of food to more than 80 schools, and more than 3,000 bags end up in backpacks for kids to take home for the weekend — when they know longer have access to school meals.

This is the 7th year that Foodlink and Wegmans have collaborated for Fill the Bus. Other sponsors included Fidelis Care, and our media sponsors at 13WHAM ABC, WUHF Fox Rochester, and CW Rochester.