Wish Farms and Publix help North Carolina food bank

Plant City, Fla.-based berry grower-shipper Wish Farms says a collaboration with Publix Super Markets and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is helping underserved families.

Volunteers from Wish Farms, Publix, and the food bank recently gathered to distribute fresh produce and present a $10,000 check from the Wish Farms Family Foundation, according to a news release. The pop-up market in rural Zebulon, N.C., directly helped 760 people, including 278 children and 130 seniors, and overall, the $10,000 donation will help provide an additional 106,740 meals, the release said.

The donation also included a full semi-truck load of 26,880 pounds of fresh Wish Farms Florida strawberries, the company said.

“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,” Nick Wishnatzki, Wish Farms public relations manager, said in the release. “This project is in perfect alignment with our company values, brand promise, and our family foundation’s vision of a hunger-free America."

“Helping provide food to our neighbors in need is at the heart of who we are at Publix,” Jared Glover, media relations manager for Publix Super Markets, said in the release. “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 release said. The mobile pantry provides an opportunity to meet the need where it is, sharing healthy and fresh food.

“We’re grateful to Publix and Wish Farms for their commitment to helping us nourish more neighbors in our 34-county service area,” Ashley McCumber, president and CEO for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, said in the release. “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 says it has been supporting hunger relief organizations for many decades, giving to food banks both monetarily and through the donation of fresh product. Since 2019, the Wish Farms Family Foundation has made food security a main focus by donating over 1.63 million pounds of fresh berries to central Florida food banks and beyond, while awarding over $750,000 in grants, the release said.