Nonprofit community partners, who are part of the Feeding America food bank network, and current or future Check-Out Hunger food bank partners of The Wawa Foundation were invited to apply for Fly Beyond Key Issue Grants earlier this year. The Wawa Foundation reviewed proposals and awarded grants based on Fly Beyond criteria and goals, program reach and impact, and the size of the Wawa market served.

“The Fly Beyond Key Issue Grant initiative reflects our continuing effort to fight food insecurity, particularly among youth in our communities, by ensuring consistent access to healthy and nutritious foods,” said Liz Simeone, President of The Wawa Foundation. “This year, we’re proud to support more food banks than ever before as we remain committed to building strong relationships with communities in Wawa’s existing and new markets, such as the Midwest. Through these partnerships, we aim to help more youth thrive through better nutrition.”

This year’s Fly Beyond Key Issue Grant recipients support communities in 12 states – Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.

In 2024, Fly Beyond Key Issue Grant recipients went on to serve than 7 million meals across their communities.

About Wawa and The Wawa Foundation Fly Beyond Programs
Launched in 2023 with initial partner Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Fly Beyond programs are supported by Wawa and The Wawa Foundation with the goal of fighting food insecurity at the community level. They are designed to inspire goodness and increase access to fresh, nutritious food and healthy meals for youth through Wawa’s Feeding America food bank partners. Fly Beyond connects all programs focused on this core issue to enable measurements, foster communication and drive solutions.

About The Wawa Foundation
The Wawa Foundation is an extension of Wawa’s commitment to making the world a better place by fulfilling customers’ lives every day. The Wawa Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded by Wawa, Inc. to support the company’s charitable giving and philanthropic activities – and ultimately to help build happier, stronger communities. The Wawa Foundation focuses its support on organizations committed to health, hunger and everyday heroes through local, regional and national grants and in-kind donations. Since 2014, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation have donated more than $182 million to causes supporting health, hunger and the heroes who serve our communities every day.

Media Contact:
Lori Bruce
Public Relations Manager
Wawa, Inc.
610-405-7782