Wawa Celebrates Wawa Welcome America with Annual Hoagie Day Tradition, Saluting Everyday Heroes in America’s Birthplace
26 Junio 2024 - 7:03AM
As part of
Wawa Welcome America,
Wawa
Hoagie Day will feature a celebration that brings together
the community for a heartfelt salute to our local and national
heroes!
About the Hoagie Day Celebration in Historic
Philadelphia
On Thursday, June 27, Wawa is inviting Philadelphians and hoagie
lovers from across the region to take part in its great hoagie
tradition—Hoagie Day! This year will feature a total of
25,000 hoagies made from seven tons of ingredients along
with a celebration dedicated to honoring our military, veterans,
fire and police, everyday heroes, and The Wawa Foundation’s ongoing
partnership with the USO. During the event, Wawa will
distribute 15,000 free turkey hoagies to the public, as well as
donate 10,000 hoagies to Philabundance, the Police Athletic League
of Philadelphia, and the Veterans Multi-Service Center. In
addition, admission to Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center
will be FREE all day, courtesy of Wawa.
The inaugural Hoagie Day was held in 1992, when the hoagie was
proclaimed the “Official Sandwich of Philadelphia” by then-Mayor Ed
Rendell. Since Hoagie Day’s inception, the event has always focused
on honoring our military service members. This year will continue
the tradition, as Wawa celebrates its ongoing partnership with the
USO,the leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the well-being
of the people serving in America's military and their families.
During this year’s Hoagie Day event, The Wawa Foundation
will make a formal check presentation of $900,000 from Wawa's
in-store customer fundraising campaign to support USO
programs. USO Regional President Rebecca Parkes will share
acceptance remarks and the impact the support has on the
organization’s mission.
Hoagie Day will also feature a doubleheader “Hoagies for
Heroes” competition emceed by WMMR’s Preston and Casey, where
Philadelphia’s police officers and firefighters will face
off in a hoagie-building competition to benefit charities of their
choice. Members of the PA Army National Guard and
Pennsylvania Air National Guard will then go head-to-head
in a competition of their own to benefit the USO. Wawa will make
individual contributions of $3,000 to the
charities of all four teams.
Chainwide Hoagie Day DonationsIn addition to
the local celebration in Philadelphia, all 1,050 Wawa stores across
its operating area will participate in Hoagie Day by making a
donation of 30 hoagies to everyday heroes serving their local
communities for a total donation of 30,000 hoagies chainwide!
“Wawa Welcome America is an incredible series of community
events that honor our local heroes as we lead up to our nation’s
birthday, and each year, Hoagie Day becomes even more exciting,
meaningful and delicious,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa CEO. “We look
at Hoagie Day as a tradition of giving back and a way to bring the
community together to show appreciation to those who serve. We are
so grateful to our heroes and want to wish them and everyone in our
communities a very happy July 4th!”
About Wawa, Inc.Wawa, Inc., a privately held
company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the
end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in
dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in
Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its
quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of
milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson,
opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 in Pennsylvania as an
outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day
stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services
and surcharge-free ATMs. Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina,
Alabama and Washington, D.C. with more than 1,050 locations to
date. The stores offer a large fresh foodservice selection,
including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies,
freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, hand-crafted
specialty beverages, a dinner menu including burgers and an
assortment of soups, sides and snacks. Forbes.com Ranks Wawa as #20
of America’s Largest Private Companies, #1 in Convenience Category
for America’s Best Customer Service by Newsweek, one of Forbes 2023
America’s Best Employers for Women and New College Grads.
Contact: Public.relations@wawa.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14420ea0-9286-44ac-a609-555a6e2ffec5