BJ's Charitable Foundation Donates $1 Million to Feeding America

Donation marks BJ's largest single donation to date

News provided by

BJ's Wholesale Club

May 09, 2017, 08:56 ET

WESTBOROUGH, Mass., May 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BJ's Wholesale Club today announced a $1 million donation from its foundation to Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. BJ's donation will support local food banks on the East Coast by providing infrastructure to support growth and resources to handle additional perishable food.

This donation supports the BJ's Charitable Foundation's mission to bring a fresh approach to nourishing communities and helping families thrive.

BJ's Team Members build 4,500 Healthy Pantry Boxes and repack 40,000 pounds of farm-farm fresh potatoes into family-sized packs for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, a Feeding America Member food bank, during BJ's Annual Team Member Conference on March 8, 2017.
BJ's Team Members build 4,500 Healthy Pantry Boxes and repack 40,000 pounds of farm-farm fresh potatoes into family-sized packs for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, a Feeding America Member food bank, during BJ's Annual Team Member Conference on March 8, 2017.
BJ's Team Members build 4,500 Healthy Pantry Boxes and repack 40,000 pounds of farm-farm fresh potatoes into family-sized packs for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, a Feeding America Member food bank, during BJ's Annual Team Member Conference on March 8, 2017.
BJ's Team Members build 4,500 Healthy Pantry Boxes and repack 40,000 pounds of farm-farm fresh potatoes into family-sized packs for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, a Feeding America Member food bank, during BJ's Annual Team Member Conference on March 8, 2017.
BJ's Team Members build 4,500 Healthy Pantry Boxes and repack 40,000 pounds of farm-farm fresh potatoes into family-sized packs for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, a Feeding America Member food bank, during BJ's Annual Team Member Conference on March 8, 2017. BJ's Team Members build 4,500 Healthy Pantry Boxes and repack 40,000 pounds of farm-farm fresh potatoes into family-sized packs for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, a Feeding America Member food bank, during BJ's Annual Team Member Conference on March 8, 2017.

Since 2009, BJ's has provided ongoing support to Feeding America through the BJ's Charitable Foundation and BJ's Feeding Communities® program, helping local food banks successfully expand their programs to reach wider and more diverse audiences. BJ's $1 million donation to Feeding America is the foundation's largest single donation to any organization to date.

"BJ's is committed to nourishing our communities and helping families thrive, and we're thrilled to support Feeding America with our foundation's largest donation ever," said Chris Baldwin, president and CEO, BJ's Wholesale Club. "Every family should have access to fresh, nutritious food, and BJ's is proud to partner with Feeding America to help make this a reality."

In the United States, 72 billion pounds of food is wasted every year in the U.S., according to ReFED, a nonprofit committed to reducing U.S. food waste. This loss occurs at every stage of the food production and distribution system—from farmers to packers and shippers, to manufacturers and retailers.

"There is enough food produced in this country to feed every person who struggles with hunger in America, and sadly much of it never makes it to the dinner table," said Andy Wilson, chief development officer of Feeding America. "Unfortunately, many perishables are wasted because an inability or lack of bandwidth to rescue and redistribute the massive amount of food that's discarded. Thanks to BJ's Charitable Foundation, we can grow our infrastructure and help ensure more families have access to healthy meals before nutritious, fresh food heads to landfills."

In addition to capacity building grants from the BJ's Charitable Foundation, BJ's has secured over 50 million pounds of donated food, including fresh produce, frozen meats and fish, baked goods and dairy items, and helped deliver 13 million meals to neighbors in need through the BJ's Feeding Communities® program.

To learn more about the BJ's Charitable Foundation and its Feeding Communities Program, visit bjs.com/charity.

About BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.
Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's is the leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 214 clubs and 132 BJ's Gas® locations in 16 states. 

BJ's provides a one-stop shopping destination filled with top-quality, leading brands, including its exclusive Wellsley Farms and Berkley Jensen brands, along with USDA Choice meats, premium produce and delicious organics,  many in supermarket sizes. BJ's is also the only major membership warehouse club to accept all manufacturers' coupons and, for greater convenience, offers the most payment options.

Visit www.BJs.com, and for exclusive content find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

BJ's is wholly owned by affiliates of Leonard Green & Partners, CVC Capital Partners and its management team.

About Feeding America
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate.  Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE BJ's Wholesale Club

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http://www.bjs.com

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