Retailers can make a difference in their communities by creating food programs like those implemented by Wawa, writes Jessica Loder for C-Store Dive.

Food insecurity hits people from all backgrounds, including about 7.4 million seniors and 20 percent of U.S. children, according to a study by Feeding America.

Yet only 12 percent of unused food gets donated.

Wawa began its food donation program in 2013, working with the nonprofit Food Donation Connection.

The company’s quality assurance team selects items to donate. Stores have refrigerator and freezer space available for perishable donations. 

The FDC then visits Wawa locations with green thermal bags to collect the food, which it then gives to organizations to distribute in the community.

Wawa donates cooked, prepared foods as well as individually wrapped items from its bakery, said Jason Read, Wawa’s director of store operations.

Wawa, with its hundreds of stores, has donated 150 million pieces of food since the program started.

But anyone can do it, regardless of size.

“I can’t begin to impress upon you how easy it is to execute this on a daily basis, whether you have one store, 10, 100, or more,” Read said.

Find out more about how retailers can start their own food donation programs in C-StoreDive.