Wish Farms’ brand promise is “Feel Good, Eat Berries, Make a Difference.” We put it on our label so that shoppers know that we are a company that cares about social responsibility. But it is also there to remind us as an organization that we must continue to hold ourselves to a higher standard. The mission: Do better and make an impact.
When an opportunity arose to collaborate with Publix Super Market Charities on a feel good project, we jumped at it! The goal was to provide berries to a pop-up market in rural North Carolina, to underserved communities. This area is widely known to be a food desert. Food deserts, should not to be confused with food desserts, which are amazing. Food deserts are very challenging for communities because people there don’t have access to healthy, farm fresh produce. People living in food deserts may be at higher risk of conditions like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and micro-nutrient deficiencies. That’s where Wish Farms and Publix comes in to help!
Wish Farms donated nearly 27,000 lbs of fresh Florida strawberries to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. That is a full semi-truck load! Additionally, we gave a monetary donation of $10,000 from our Family Foundation. Those funds will help the food bank provide an additional 106,740 meals.
Produce donations like our strawberries will now also have a more efficient way to reach underserved families with the help of a mobile food pantry thanks to a $175,000 donation from Publix Super Markets Charities. The mobile pantry provides an opportunity to meet the need where it is, giving them the opportunity to share the joy of healthy, fresh food.
The event was a huge success. Wish Farms, Publix and Food Bank volunteers were on hand at this pop-up market distributing fresh produce to 760 people, including 278 children and 130 seniors. It is our hope that we made an impact and made life just a little easier for some folks in need.
Wish Farms has been supporting hunger relief organizations for many decades, giving to food banks both monetarily and through the donation of fresh product. Since 2019, its charitable foundation has made food security a main focus by donating over 1.63 million lbs. of fresh berries to central Florida food banks and beyond, while awarding over $750,000 in grants.
