WAWA, Pa. – Wawa and The Wawa Foundation Inc. announced that contributions for 2015 topped more than $11.3 million distributed to causes supporting health, hunger and everyday heroes. Overall, The Wawa Foundation has contributed more than $20.4 million since its founding in 2014, and is well on its way to meet its goal of donating $50 million by 2018.

In 2015, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation conducted six in-store charity collection campaign periods, with total in-store collections reaching $6.7 million. Each campaign lasted two months, during which donations were collected in all Wawa stores, chain-wide, through donation boxes near the register and through point-of-purchase donations for pre-set amounts scanned at the register. Contributions were distributed as follows: 

• Special Olympics: $485,000
• American Red Cross: $489,000
• Check-Out Hunger: $556,000 (estimate)
• Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals: $661,000
• United Services Organization Inc. (USO): $773,000
• JDRF: $833,000

For grants, nationally Wawa and the foundation contributed to 69 organizations in six states, totaling $7.4 million in contributions; and locally to 362 organizations in six states, totaling $1.7 million. Local community sponsorships to 148 organizations in six states totaled $202,000.

For 2016, one of Wawa’s national charity partners is Special Olympics, an organization Wawa has a long-standing history of supporting. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The organization provides continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

For the past five years, Wawa has also supported the Police Athletic League (PAL), an organization of police officers working to serve youth by reducing crime, promoting character development and improving educational outcomes.