Wegmans is once again launching its annual Fill the Bus scan campaign—an initiative designed to help ensure school-age children continue to have access to enough healthy food during the summer months — when food insecurity often rises for local families.
Starting June 4, customers at Wegmans stores can donate $3, $5, or any amount at checkout. Every dollar raised goes directly to each store’s local Feeding America food bank. In the Rochester region, that means 100% of proceeds will support Foodlink, the regional food bank serving a 10-county area.
“For 13 years, the Fill the Bus campaign with Wegmans has helped ensure that children at risk of food insecurity are well nourished and able to reach their true potential,” said Julia Tedesco, President & CEO of Foodlink. “With visits to local food pantries soaring and food insecurity on the rise in the summer months, every donation helps. We are grateful to Wegmans and their customers for supporting our mission during this critical campaign.”
With hunger on the rise, this year’s campaign carries even greater importance. According to the latest Map the Meal Gap report from Feeding America, child food insecurity in the Rochester/Finger Lakes region has surged. The overall food insecurity rate in Foodlink’s service area jumped from 9.3% to 12.8% between 2021 and 2023 with more than 160,000 food-insecure individuals living in our region. Of the 160,000 food-insecure individuals in our region, 44,940 or 17.6% are children.
Wegmans and Foodlink’s partnership in the fight against hunger has spanned more than 45 years. Although the partnership originated in Rochester, Wegmans has expanded their charitable giving to dozens of food banks nationwide. In 2024 alone, Wegmans donated more than 36.6 million pounds of food, and its customers raised over $3.2 million through scan campaigns like Fill the Bus.
“As food banks grapple with federal funding cuts, they are struggling to find ways to fund their vast variety of programs supporting children, families, and individuals,” said Linda Lovejoy, Wegmans Community Relations Manager. “Even small donations can add up to make a huge impact on reducing hunger in our local neighborhoods.”
The Fill the Bus campaign runs through June 18, giving shoppers a simple way to support local families while checking out.
