People who work at a grocery store or any people-oriented business have their constants. There may be customers they have seen for multiple decades – or certain families they have seen progress through multiple generations.
For people who have worked at Wegmans, the store’s “Check Out Hunger” initiative has been part of the fabric of their employment, whether they started working there yesterday or 30 years ago.
“At 15 years old, I was asking customers in Buffalo, New York if they would like to donate to Check Out Hunger,” said Chris Ruper, the service area manager at the Cherry Hill Wegmans location off of Route 70.
There has not been a time when the campaign was not part of his work at the company, Ruper said. He’s been working at Wegmans in Cherry Hill for about 18 years.
Check Out Hunger is ramping up again in 2026, running from Oct. 21 through Nov. 28.
“We make it easy by being able to do it at the register,” Ruper said.
Wegmans customers can donate $2, $3, $5 — or any amount — at the checkout lanes, the store said in a news release. That also includes self-checkout lanes, Ruper told . Customers also have the option to round up their change.
100% of the funds raised from the Cherry Hill store and the Mt. Laurel store will go towards the Food Bank of South Jersey. Last year, Wegmans raised more than $21,000 for the food bank — more than double the year prior, Ruper said.
“The whole community really got involved in it … really rallied behind it,” he said, talking about 2025’s totals.
Within the first six days of the 2026 campaign, Ruper said Wegmans had raised 50% more in donations and about 11% more in dollar amounts for those donations to the Food Bank of South Jersey.
He said people see the need that is out there, something that shopper Heidi Rounds, who donated five dollars on her shopping trip last week at checkout, sees herself.
She said she knows how expensive food can be trying to feed a family of four on a budget.
“Everybody has enough going on in their lives — that food shouldn’t be one [of their concerns] for anybody, she said.
Ruper said he is hoping Wegmans can get up to at least a 20% increase in donations to the Food Bank of South Jersey over last year’s fundraising total.
Regardless, helping people get fed is the goal, especially as the holidays approach. Any amount helps to do that. The initiative is a great way to get employees involved as well, Ruper said.
“For me, living the Wegmans core values and making a difference in our community, it’s something that’s near and dear to me,” Ruper said. “I want to be able to help give back, and this is my way of doing it.”