Wegmans Food Markets partnered with nonprofit 9/11 Day to bring hundreds of volunteers together in the Rochester, New York, area on September 11th, packing meals for local families while commemorating the 25th anniversary through service. More than 400 volunteers participated in the event, where teams assembled more than 145,000 multi-serving oatmeal kits. Foodlink, the regional food bank serving the area, distributed the finished meals to people facing food insecurity.
The gathering was part of 9/11 Day’s broader National Day of Service and Remembrance activities. The nonprofit, founded in 2002 by David Paine and Jay Winuk, works to preserve the memory of those who lost their lives and others affected by the terrorist attacks by encouraging acts of service each year on the anniversary. Winuk’s brother, Glenn, an attorney and volunteer firefighter, lost his life at the World Trade Center after responding to help others.
For the 25th anniversary, meal packing was a major part of that effort. 9/11 Day organized projects around the country that brought volunteers together to prepare shelf-stable food for local hunger-relief organizations. Wegmans’ Rochester event began shortly after 9:00 A.M. Volunteers worked at packing tables beneath a large American flag, assembling and boxing oatmeal for distribution in the region. The project was held at the grocer’s conference center rather than inside one of its supermarkets, allowing the company and 9/11 Day to accommodate several hundred participants and the equipment needed for a large packing operation.
Meals of Hope served as the meal-pack partner, supplying the dry ingredients and helping coordinate assembly. The completed oatmeal kits are shelf stable, simplifying storage and distribution through Foodlink’s hunger-relief network. The volunteer group included Wegmans employees as well as representatives from businesses, health care organizations, nonprofits, and public safety agencies across the Rochester area. First responders also participated.
The Rochester gathering grew out of Wegmans employees’ previous involvement with 9/11 Day meal packs in other markets. Company employees had taken part in events in New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia in prior years. The project also connected the national remembrance effort with Wegmans’ existing relationship with Foodlink. The Rochester-based nonprofit has long worked with the supermarket company on hunger-relief efforts, giving organizers an established local distribution network for the meals assembled during the event.
While the meal pack centered on food assistance, the event also reflected the purpose of the annual observance. Volunteers gathered to remember those who lost their lives, survivors, first responders, and others affected by the attacks, while honoring the anniversary through service to the community. For its 2026 observance, 9/11 Day set out to organize large-scale volunteer service projects across the country, with meal packs forming a significant part of the program. The nonprofit said its nationwide initiative for the 25th anniversary was expected to involve about 50,000 meal-packing volunteers across 50 cities, with a goal of preparing 20 million meals. The Rochester project brought that national effort to Wegmans’ home market for the first time on the milestone anniversary. Once the packing ended, the food remained local, moving to Foodlink for distribution throughout the region.
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