BJ’s Charitable Foundation Donates $50,000 to Feeding the Gulf Coast’s School Pantry Program

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

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. & PENSACOLA, Fla.--(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 Feeding the Gulf Coast, 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 Florida.

“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 Feeding the Gulf Coast to support its school pantry program. This grant will help increase access and feed more families in food insecure communities.”

BJ’s grant to Feeding the Gulf Coast 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.

“One in five children throughout our Florida service area is food insecure,” said David Reaney, Interim President and CEO of Feeding the Gulf Coast. “We are grateful for the partnership and support from BJ’s, which will enable us to increase the amount of fresh, healthy food that is delivered to families, children and seniors in need.”

Feeding the Gulf Coast’s Child Nutrition Programs work to provide access to nutritious food for more than 43,000 children in the panhandle of Florida who regularly experience hunger. The school pantry program, in particular, works to distribute nutritious food and hygiene essentials to food insecure students at middle schools and high schools by establishing a pantry through the schools’ counselor’s offices.

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 144 BJ's Gas® locations in 17 states.

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

About Feeding the Gulf Coast

Feeding the Gulf Coast, formerly Bay Area Food Bank, serves a 24-county area spanning the Florida panhandle, south Alabama, and south Mississippi. In 2019, the food bank distributed over 22 million meals to over 400 church pantries, soup kitchens, and other nonprofit organizations throughout its service area. The food bank also operates multiple hunger-relief and nutrition programs, including Summer Meals, Afterschool Meal, Backpack, Disaster Relief, Mobile Pantry and Produce Drop Distributions and Nutrition Education. Feeding the Gulf Coast is a United Way member agency and a member of Feeding America. For more information, visit www.feedingthegulfcoast.org.

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