Wegmans Donates $30,000 Powerball Bonus to Food Bank
The grocery chain is giving its New Jersey Lottery retailer bonus to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey after selling a winning $847 million ticket.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Philanthropy
Live Poll
Would you round up or donate at checkout to support a local food bank?
Wegmans is donating the full $30,000 retailer bonus paid by the New Jersey Lottery to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. The bonus follows the sale of the winning $847 million Powerball ticket at its Montvale store.
Why it matters
The donation is expected to help the food bank provide 25,000 meals to New Jersey residents facing food insecurity. It also ties a major lottery windfall to direct local hunger relief.
Wegmans is donating its full $30,000 retailer bonus, which is part of the Check Out Hunger campaign's nearly $58 million in customer contributions since launch. The donation is expected to fund 25,000 meals, and the winning ticket's identity remains undisclosed.
The players
Wegmans
A family-owned grocery chain headquartered in Rochester, New York, operating 115 stores along the East Coast and ranked No. 36 on the PG 100 list of North American retailers.
Community FoodBank of New Jersey
The state's largest hunger-relief organization, which distributes food through a network of partner agencies across New Jersey.
New Jersey Lottery
The state agency that operates the lottery games sold in New Jersey and pays retailer bonuses on winning tickets.
The details
The winning $847 million Powerball ticket was purchased at a self-service vending machine at Wegmans' Montvale store, and the New Jersey Lottery pays the selling retailer a bonus. Wegmans is directing that bonus to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey through its Check Out Hunger program, where 100% of customer donations at the Montvale store also support the food bank.
Timeline
Article published November 6, 2026, announcing the donation.
Philanthropy Pattern
The donation extends Wegmans' 33-edition Check Out Hunger campaign, which has raised nearly $58 million from customers since it began. It shows the program channeling an unexpected windfall, a lottery retailer bonus, into the same food bank network that customers already support at checkout.
Shoppers at Wegmans can continue supporting local hunger relief by donating at checkout, since customer gifts through Check Out Hunger directly fund food bank operations. New Jersey residents who visit food banks in the state may find more meals available as a result of this donation.
The takeaway
Customers who donate at checkout help sustain local food banks year-round, and a single retailer bonus can meaningfully add to that support. Checking whether your regional grocery chain runs a similar program is a simple way to contribute.
Further reading
For more on giving in the state, see Philanthropy coverage for New Jersey.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Progressive Grocer.
Live Poll
Would you round up or donate at checkout to support a local food bank?
