BJ’s Charitable Foundation Donates $50,000 to Support Feeding South Florida’s School Pantry Program

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 South Florida, 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 South Florida 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 South Florida 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.

“Food insecurity for children in South Florida is higher than the national average: one in five children go to bed hungry throughout Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties,” said Paco Vélez, president and CEO of Feeding South Florida. “With BJ’s generous support, we can increase the amount of fresh, healthy food that is delivered to communities that are not at Three Meals a Day.”

Feeding South Florida is the leading domestic hunger-relief organization in the state, serving over 706,000 food insecure individuals throughout Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties through direct service programs and a network of approximately 300 nonprofit partner agencies.

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 South Florida

Feeding South Florida® is a member of the Feeding America® network of food banks and the leading domestic hunger-relief organization serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. Providing support for 25 percent of the state’s food insecure population, its mission is to end hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food, leading hunger and poverty advocacy efforts, and transforming lives through innovative programming and education. Feeding South Florida distributes nearly 62 million pounds (51.6 million meals) of food annually, to more than 700,000 individuals through direct-service programs and a local network of approximately 300 nonprofit partner agencies. Visit feedingsouthflorida.org or call 954.518.1818.

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