Latest news with #Philabundance
CBS News
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Wawa to assemble 25,000 hoagies, give 15,000 away for free today. Here's how to get one.
Wawa workers will turn seven tons of ingredients into 25,000 Shorti hoagies on Wawa Hoagie Day Thursday, June 26. Wawa's free hoagie giveaway to charities and the public is back once again, with about 150 Wawa workers up bright and early to assemble the thousands of lunchmeat delivery vessels, wrap them and get them in the hands of thousands of hungry Philadelphians. Forty percent of the assembled sandwiches will go to charity, with 7,500 going to Philabundance and 2,500 split between the Police Athletic League and the Veterans Multi-Service Center. The remainder will be handed out to hoagie lovers who show up for the giveaway, free of charge. Workers start the assemblage at 5 a.m. and build at a rate of 5,000 hoagies an hour to be wrapped up by 10 a.m. These are all turkey hoagies, by the way. If you tune in on CBS News Philadelphia throughout the morning, you might see recently retired Eagle Brandon Graham, the Birds' mascot Swoop, or Wawa's Wally Goose and Shorti Hoagie mascots. Wawa had rescheduled other Wawa Welcome America events this week due to extreme heat, but thankfully, Thursday is a little cooler and this one is still on as scheduled. The Welcome America slate of events leads up to the July 4 fireworks and concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with Jazmine Sullivan and LL Cool J headlining this year. How to get one of Wawa's 15,000 free hoagies today in Philadelphia Wawa's Hoagie Day celebration for the public kicks off at 12 p.m. on Arch Street and Independence Mall, between 5th and 6th streets in front of the National Constitution Center. With the supply limited, you might want to get there early if you can, then get in line. The noon event also includes a performance from the Six-String Soldiers. After you chow down, you can enjoy free admission to the NCC all day. contributed to this report.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wawa Welcome America features Hoagie Day to Salute Everyday Heroes in America's Birthplace
WAWA, Pa., June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of , Wawa Hoagie Day will feature a celebration that brings together the community for a heartfelt salute to our local and national heroes! About the Hoagie Day Celebration in Historic Philadelphia On Thursday, June 26, Wawa is inviting Philadelphians and hoagie lovers from across the region to take part in its great hoagie tradition—Hoagie Day! This year's event will feature a total of 25,000 hoagies made from seven tons of ingredients along with a celebration dedicated to honoring our military, veterans, fire and police, everyday heroes, and The Wawa Foundation's ongoing partnership with the USO. During the event, Wawa will distribute 15,000 free turkey hoagies to the public, as well as donate 10,000 hoagies to Philabundance, the Police Athletic League of Philadelphia, and the Veterans Multi-Service Center. In addition, admission to Philadelphia's National Constitution Center will be FREE all day, courtesy of Wawa Hoagie Day. The inaugural Hoagie Day was held in 1992, when the hoagie was proclaimed the 'Official Sandwich of Philadelphia' by then-Mayor Ed Rendell. Since Hoagie Day's inception, the event has always focused on honoring our military service members. This year will continue the tradition, as Wawa celebrates its ongoing partnership with the USO, the leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the well-being of the people serving in America's military and their families. During the event, The Wawa Foundation will make a formal check presentation of $900,000 from Wawa's in-store customer fundraising campaign to support USO programs. USO Regional President Rebecca Parkes will share acceptance remarks and the impact the support has on the organization's mission. Hoagie Day will also feature a doubleheader 'Hoagies for Heroes' competition emceed by NBC Philadelphia's Aunyea Lachelle where Philadelphia's police officers and firefighters will face off in a hoagie-building competition to benefit charities of their choice. Members of the PA Army National Guard and Navy Talent Acquisition Group Philadelphia will then go head-to-head with the PA Air National Guard's 111th Attack Wing in a competition of their own to benefit the USO. Wawa will make individual contributions of $3,000 to the charities of all four teams. Chainwide Hoagie Day DonationsIn addition to the local celebration in Philadelphia, all 1,130 Wawa stores across its operating area will participate in Hoagie Day by making a donation of 30 hoagies to everyday heroes serving their local communities for a total donation of 33,000+ hoagies chainwide! 'Hoagie Day is a celebration like no other in which we're able to unite as a community, honor our heroes, and enjoy tens of thousands of delicious Wawa Hoagies!' said Brian Schaller, Wawa President. 'Wawa Welcome America is an incredible series of free community events that we're proud to sponsor in our home city of Philadelphia.' About Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and 'certified' process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George's grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 in Pennsylvania as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services and surcharge-free ATMs. Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana and Washington, D.C. with over 1,100 locations to date. The stores offer a large fresh foodservice selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, hand-crafted specialty beverages, a dinner menu including burgers and pizza, an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. Ranks Wawa as #22 of America's Largest Private Companies. Contact: in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBS News
18-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Philadelphia kicks off Summer Meals program to address food insecurity across the city
The city of Philadelphia kicked off its Summer Meals program on Wednesday with Mayor Cherelle Parker passing out meals to area kids at Vare Recreation Center. The city is partnering with the School District of Philadelphia, Philabundance and other local organizations to provide free meals to anyone under 18 during the summer. "If we take care of each other, there's nothing we can't do," Parker said. Over 100,000 kids face food insecurity throughout Philadelphia, according to city officials. The program aims to bridge that gap during the summer months. Hundreds of sites citywide will begin providing meals for residents. The city says no I.D. or proof of income is required. "Just because school is out, does not mean you can't eat. We are going to make sure you have food this summer," Susan Slawson, the commissioner of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, said. JSJ Food Bank is one of the many organizations stepping up to make sure no kid goes hungry during the summer. Executive Director Jeanne Spence said her organization serves more than 500 students per day during the summer with the food bank focusing on the area of Frankford, where there's a big need. "For us, it's our lunch and supper meals and there's other sites here really connecting with the city to be able to provide breakfast, so the student students do not go left hungry," she said. Jacqueline Velykis and her son visited the recreation center to learn more about the program. She said that with rising grocery prices, the summer meals will be a big help for her family. "Prices have definitely gone up, a lot," Velykis said. "Then the kids they want to pick and choose what they want. They want to waste the food, and it costs too much to be wasting all the food, so this definitely helps out a lot."
CBS News
08-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
$1 billion in USDA cuts trickling down to food pantry in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Local organizations are feeling the effects of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's $1 billion cut in assistance. The cuts include $420 million to Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, a program that helps food banks, and $660 million to Local Food for Schools, a program that feeds hungry school children. At Murphy's Giving Market , a food pantry in Upper Darby that serves about 3,000 people a month, the cuts are starting to trickle down. "I'm extremely worried because a lot of our funding comes from the federal government by way of food banks," Desiree Murphy-Morrissey, the founder of the food pantry, said. "If they're cut and we already don't have food right now to feed people, how much less will we have then?" Murphy-Morrissey said 25% of her pantry's food comes from the food bank Philabundance. "Philabundance learned that over 85% of our TEFAP [The Emergency Food Assistance Program] food deliveries have been unprecedentedly cancelled for the remainder of the fiscal year," Elka Murillo, chief external affairs officer for Philabundance, said. "This is food that we had already ordered and were counting on receiving. Over $525,000 worth of food now lost." Tariffs on imports are another challenge facing hunger relief organizations. Murphy-Morrissey said most of the produce at her food pantry comes from Canada and Mexico. "Food prices are so high now, and with the expected tariffs, it's going to be even higher, which means we are able to purchase less," Murphy-Morrissey said. A third challenge is that Congress is considering cuts to programs that some food pantry clients use, like Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Despite the uncertainty, volunteer Michael D'Angelo said families are grateful. "Everybody has been extremely appreciative," D'Angelo said. "Nothing but smiles in the midst of pain and hunger and struggle." D'Angelo is urging people to write letters to their representatives to voice support for the pantry, which is ramping up fundraising efforts. For now, he said he will continue his work of stamping out hunger.
CBS News
27-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Millions in funds for Pennsylvania farms and food banks, including Philabundance, in jeopardy as USDA ends program
Philabundance, the largest food bank in the Philadelphia region, will now have to look at how to fill a million-dollar hole. This comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced earlier this month it is terminating the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. "We're going to be losing about $1.5 million, about 18% of our food-sourcing budget," said Dorothy Wong with Philabundance. "This is probably one of the most significant reductions we've seen in a really long time." The program provides funding for food banks to buy produce, dairy and meats from local vendors, and state leaders say the cuts will have impacts across Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, the head of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank said the organization stands to lose nearly $2 million in funding and that around 500,000 fewer meals a month would go out. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro set his sights on the administration's decision this week. "Pennsylvania farmers and food banks are owed $13 million, and I won't stand by and let our farmers get screwed," Shapiro said Tuesday from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. That $13 million is how much the state stands to lose in funding over the three-year contract it says it signed with the USDA in December 2024. But it isn't just food banks impacted by the cuts. This week, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture sent a list of 189 farms across Pennsylvania to the USDA that could be impacted by the loss of funding. These farms, the governor's office says, benefited from LFPA funding. One farm on that list is Living Hope Farm in Harleysville. "It's a shame that this funding is being pulled away from small-scale farms and the mission of building a local food system," said Sam Chronister, manager at the farm. Chronister says Living Hope has been open since around 2010 and grows a wide variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables. They also have a focus on filling food pantry shelves, with Chronister saying the farm donated more than 3,000 pounds of food to local food banks last year. Around 20% of the farm's operation comes from various grants, according to Chronister. And while he didn't put an exact number of the impact losing LFPA money would have, he says every bit of money coming in matters, especially for small farms. "It's already difficult, grants are already competitive. And taking that away is going to push us to find some other ways to make some money," Chronister said. The cuts come at a time when the Trump administration is focused on slashing federal spending and the size of the federal government as a whole . A spokesperson for the USDA said in part, "As a pandemic-era program, the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) will now be sunsetted at the end of the performance period, marking a return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives. This isn't an abrupt shift—earlier this month, USDA released over half a billion in previously obligated funds for LFPA and LFS to fulfill existing commitments and support ongoing local food purchases." "With 16 robust nutrition programs in place, USDA remains focused on its core mission: strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and ensuring access to nutritious food," the spokesperson said in the statement. The letter sent to USDA by Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding says the agency's termination notice said the contract "no longer effectuates agency priorities." "It's hard for me to see how partnering with our farmers and feeding people doesn't align with the federal government's priorities," Shapiro said. The governor on Tuesday called the termination of the contract between the state and USDA "unlawful," and said they have moved to appeal the decision. Shapiro said his administration would consider legal options if the USDA refused to rescind the termination.
