Plant City, FL based berry grower-shipper Wish Farms is proud to announce a collaboration with Publix Super Markets and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.
Volunteers from Wish Farms, Publix, and the Food Bank were on hand to distribute fresh produce and present a $10,000 check from the Wish Farms Family Foundation. This pop-up market in rural Zebulon, NC directly helped 760 people, including 278 children and 130 seniors. Overall, the $10,000 donation will help provide an additional 106,740 meals.
The donation included a full semi-truck load of fresh Wish Farms Florida strawberries totaling 26,880 lbs.
“As a supplier of strawberries and pineberries to North Carolina Publix stores, we wanted to introduce ourselves in the local community by making a meaningful impact during the peak of the Florida strawberry season. This project is in perfect alignment with our company values, brand promise, and our family foundation’s vision of a hunger-free America,” said Wish Farms PR Manager, Nick Wishnatzki.
“Helping provide food to our neighbors in need is at the heart of who we are at Publix,” said Jared Glover, media relations manager for Publix Super Markets. “We’re thankful to Wish Farms for their support of hunger alleviation efforts in the areas we serve. We’re proud to do good, together.”
Produce donations through the Food Bank now have a more efficient way to reach underserved families with the help of a mobile food pantry made possible by a $175,000 donation from Publix Super Markets Charities. The mobile pantry provides an opportunity to meet the need where it is, giving them the opportunity to share the joy of healthy, fresh food.
George Jenkins, founder of Publix Super Markets and affectionately known as Mr. George, believed in giving. From the day he opened his first Publix, he made sure his associates, customers and community were taken care of. In 1966, Mr. George established the foundation with the vision it would continue giving long after he was gone. Publix Super Markets Charities remains committed to serving the communities in which Publix operates.
“We’re grateful to Publix and Wish Farms for their commitment to helping us nourish more neighbors in our 34-county service area,” said Ashley McCumber, President & CEO for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. “With food insecurity at a record-high, it is crucial that we build our capacity to distribute more food, especially fresh produce. These donations will go a long way to achieving that goal and ensuring no one goes hungry in central and eastern North Carolina.”
Wish Farms has been supporting hunger relief organizations for many decades, giving to food banks both monetarily and through the donation of fresh product.
Since 2019, its charitable foundation has made food security a main focus by donating over 1.63 million lbs. of fresh berries to central Florida food banks and beyond, while awarding over $750,000 in grants.
About Wish Farms
Feel Good. Eat Berries. Make A Difference.
It isn’t just a catchy phrase, giving back is engrained in the company culture. Through the Wish Farms Family Foundation, a portion of profits are dedicated to their three pillars of giving: Food Insecurity, Youth Education and Community. With a defined mission, they hope to make the world a better place.
Founded in 1922, Wish Farms is a fourth-generation, family operated company. As a year-round supplier of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and now Pink-A-Boo Pineberries®, it grows both conventional and organic varieties. Nationally recognized for innovation, Wish Farms utilizes patented traceability technology to ensure quality and safety by tying consumer feedback to specific information from each day’s harvest.
For more information, please visit www.wishfarms.com.
