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The Villages
Friday, March 29, 2024

Wawa’s charitable arm will extend to Villages-area organizations

Residents can expect to see more much from the Wawa stores in The Villages-area than just a high-end minimart that sells a variety of food and gasoline.

That was the message that was delivered Wednesday morning in Ocala as the popular food market chain that carries an almost “cult-like” following broke ground on three stores that will open in Marion County in the first quarter of 2019.

Marion County Commission Chairman Kathy Bryant, left, and Veterans Services Officer Jeffrey Askew accept a $2,500 donation for the Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park.

Amid the fanfare of local officials welcoming the company to the area and the ceremonial first scoop of dirt being tossed with gold- and silver-plated shovels at the site on E. Silver Springs Boulevard, the company also made it quite clear that being a community partner and supporting local charities ranks high on its priority list.

Marion County Commissioner Michelle Stone, left, chats with Ocala Lions Club member Estelle C. Michaelson during Wednesday morning’s Wawa groundbreaking ceremony in Ocala.

“We’ve contributed $5.5 million in Florida from the Wawa Foundation,” said Todd Sounders, senior director of Florida operations. “We had a super goal of raising $50 million over five years. We exceeded that and that money goes right back into local communities.”

Sounders said Wawa, which also has locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, opened its first Florida store in 2012 and now has 154 locations in the Sunshine State. And communities where those stores are located benefit greatly from the company’s foundation, he added.

Representatives from the Florida School for the Blind accept at $2,500 donation from the Wawa Foundation.

On Wednesday, Sounders proved that to be true as he handed out $2,500 checks to the Florida School for the Blind, First Step Food Bank in Ocala and the Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park. He said that money will be used in a variety of ways, and he assured the leaders of those groups that more would be coming their way in the future as Wawa’s six Marion County stores get up and running by the end of 2019.

According to the Wawa Foundation website, there are three goals:
• Support organizations committed to saving and improving lives;
• Provide hunger relief; and
• Support and celebrate “Everyday Heroes” – first responders, those serving in the military and veterans.

Ocala Lions Club member Estelle C. Michaelson poses with Wawa mascots Shorti and Wally Goose during Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony.

Ocala Lions Club member Estelle C. Michaelson, who was all smiles at the groundbreaking event as she chatted with Marion County Commissioner Michelle Stone and posed for photos with Wawa mascots Wally Goose and Shorti, said she appreciates the support the company’s foundation shows to veterans.

“I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “They certainly deserve it.”

Navy veteran Bruce Lamoureux, of the Patriot Riders motorcycle group

Navy veteran Bruce Lamoureux, of the Patriot Riders motorcycle group, agreed. The Ocala resident, who served during the Vietnam War-era, attended the event with some of his fellow riders to display American flags during the ceremony.

“We’re happy to be here,” he said. “Wawa made a generous donation to our veterans park and we wanted to offer our support and thank them.”

Wawa currently has one store up and running in The Villages area, which is located at the intersection of U.S. 301 and County Road 466. That location opened in November 2017 and has been quite busy ever since.

Another Wawa will be opening next year on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 near Lemon Street. That location required demolition of “The Castle,” the distinctive-looking Medieval structure that housed Affordable Lock & Security Systems. And it raised concerns and protests among some residents who took their concerns to the Lady Lake Commission.

First Step Food Bank in Ocala was the recipient of a $2,500 check from the Wawa Foundation.

A third Villages-area store will be located across from the Lowe’s Home Improvement store on U.S. Hwy. 27/441. Work hasn’t yet started on that location, which is located in Sumter County.

A fourth store also is planned in Leesburg at the corner of U.S. Hwy. 27/441 and Griffin Road. A Citizens Bank branch and a Sonny’s BBQ already have been razed to make room for the store, but Wawa officials said they aren’t ready to announce an opening date for the location just north of the busy intersection where U.S. Hwy. 27/441 splits into two separate highways.

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