Every Tuesday and Thursday, a Raleigh Rescue Mission truck pulls up to the loading dock at the Wegman’s store in Raleigh. Wegman’s associates roll out hundreds of pounds of fresh produce, baked goods and other food that gets weighed, recorded and loaded into the truck by Mission clients and employees. A similar process takes place at the Cary store location. The Mission utilizes these items to help prepare three meals each day for the men, women and children who are part of our New Life Plan. Wegman’s is giving back to the community in a big way, and Raleigh Rescue Mission is so thankful to be a recipient.
Jessica Godwin, Full-Time Receiver at the Raleigh Wegman’s, is excited to be a part of the process. Jessica’s personal values line up with her employer’s core values: every Wegman’s store is expected to establish relationships within their local community to give to those in need, promote sustainability, combat food insecurity, and send less waste to landfills. “Our goal is always to donate first, when possible, then compost. The ultimate goal is zero food in our landfills.”
In her role, Jessica is encouraged to be a champion for Wegman’s zero waste goal. She tries to educate and instill passion in her co-workers, and they readily embrace and model her enthusiasm. “The food we give away is the same quality as what we sell on the floor,” says Jessica. “Our safety standards for storage and transportation to our partners is the same too. The cost of food continues to rise, and with COVID, the need has grown even more. We give away from 400 to 1,200 pounds of food every day, just our store alone. It’s a lot of work, but we’re getting better and better at it, and we know we can do even more.”
“I love what is going on here at Wegman’s,” Jessica asserts. “It’s a great place to work, and I plan to stick with them.” Raleigh Rescue Mission plans to stick with them too. Especially this Thanksgiving, in a year that has been unusually difficult, the Mission is grateful for the blessing of healthy, nutritious food that fills a practical and important need for the adults and children we serve.
