BJ’s Charitable Foundation Donates $50,000 to Support City Harvest’s Mobile Market Program

BJ’s donation will expand direct access to fresh food for local families

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE: BJ), a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States, today announced a $50,000 donation to City Harvest, New York City’s largest food rescue organization and a Feeding America^® member food bank. The donation from the BJ’s Charitable Foundation is part of the retailer’s initiative to help end hunger in New York.

“BJ’s is dedicated to nourishing our communities and helping families thrive by improving access to basic essentials including fresh, nutritious food,” said Kirk Saville, executive director, BJ’s Charitable Foundation. “We’re thrilled to donate $50,000 to City Harvest to support its mobile market program. This grant will help increase access and feed more families in food insecure communities.”

BJ’s grant to City Harvest is part of its recent $1 million donation to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. The donation will support programs that expand direct access to food, including the School Pantry, mobile market, and BackPack programs. With these programs, families facing food insecurity will be able to more easily access fresh, nutritious food to help put meals on the table.

“Thousands of New Yorkers rely on City Harvest’s mobile market program to help feed themselves and their families,” said Jilly Stephens, Chief Executive Officer of City Harvest. “With BJ’s generous support, we will be able to increase the amount of fresh, nutritious food distributed to communities in need and better serve the nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables.”

BJ’s donation supports City Harvest’s nine mobile markets, which distribute fresh fruits and vegetables free of charge, to thousands of New Yorkers across the five boroughs each month. These markets also provide healthy meal cooking demonstrations and free wellness programs such as blood pressure screenings, provided by one of City Harvest’s many community partners. Each year, City Harvest’s mobile markets provide close to three million pounds of produce to nearly 10,000 households.

BJ’s grant marks the third yearly $1 million donation to the Feeding America network from the BJ’s Charitable Foundation. Since 2011, BJ’s has provided ongoing support to the Feeding America network through the BJ’s Charitable Foundation and BJ’s Feeding Communities program, helping local food banks successfully expand their programs to reach wider audiences.

BJ’s Feeding Communities program is a food rescue partnership, where the company donates all unsold perishable food to Feeding America member food banks in its footprint, helping to get wholesome food onto the plates of more families. To date, BJ’s has donated more than 100 million pounds of food including meat, produce, dairy and bakery items – which equals more than 84 million meals^* – to Feeding America member food banks.

To learn more about BJ's Wholesale Club, visit BJs.com.

^*Based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, a meal is equal to 1.2 pounds of food and grocery product.

About BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.
Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 217 clubs and 143 BJ's Gas® locations in 17 states.

The Company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BJ).

About City Harvest
City Harvest is New York City’s largest food rescue organization, helping to feed the nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables. We will rescue 64 million pounds of food this year and deliver it, free of charge, to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community partners across the five boroughs. Our programs empower individuals through nutrition education, increase our partners’ capacity, and strengthen the local food system, helping New Yorkers who are experiencing food insecurity to access, afford, and consume nutritious food. To learn more about our work, visit cityharvest.org.