Wilmington Welcomes Wegmans

Wegmans brings exceptional foods and community partnership to Delaware

BY KURT HUSEBO

WHEN OUR WILMINGTON WEGMANS store opened on October 26, 2022, it was our 110th location overall, but our first in the state of Delaware. Founded in 1916 by brothers Walter and John, we’re still owned and operated by the Wegman family. One of the things we’re known for is our long-standing reputation as an exceptional employer; we’ve been named as one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 26 consecutive years. At our Wilmington store alone, we employ over 400 people, most of whom were new to the company and hired locally. Our employees attribute their reason for choosing a career at Wegmans to the extensive array of benefits we provide, the work-life balance we offer, the values we share, and the endless opportunities offered for career advancement.

Being a great employer isn’t the only thing we’re passionate about, we’re also devoted to being a good neighbor in every community we serve. In 2022, Wegmans contributed more than $79 million to our local communities through corporate gifts, weekly employee United Way donations, and our annual customer scanning campaigns.

Before even opening the doors to our new store, we committed over $25,000 to the Wilmington community through donations to organizations including the Food Bank of Delaware, the United Way of Delaware, I Am My Sister’s Keeper, West End Neighborhood House, Delaware Children’s Museum, and several local schools. While we were busy hiring and training, we were also connecting with local organizations to introduce ourselves and learn how we could make a difference for our neighbors here. As part of this process, last September we invited 18 local nonprofit organizations and community leaders to sit down with us so we could learn more about the unique needs of this area. The meeting helped us create lasting relationships and gave us a better understanding of how we could help.

Since opening day, we’ve continued to seek out new partnerships within the Wilmington community. In late 2022, we provided donations to Sunday Breakfast Mission for their Great Thanksgiving Banquet, to the Hope Center for their second anniversary celebration, and to Elsmere Fire Company for their holiday parade. We recently gave Delaware State University $2,000 for their food pantry program, and $6,000 to the “Do More 24” campaign to support Delaware’s nonprofit organizations. In addition, our store has donated over 120,000 pounds of food to the Salvation Army, Rose Hill Church, and the Kennett Food Cupboard to help feed the hungry, while also eliminating food waste.

We’re proud to be part of the Wilmington community, and we look forward to continuing to make a difference together for years to come. 

Kurt Husebo is the Wegmans Wilmington store manager.