Wakefern Team Will Walk to Believe
Keasbey, NJ (May 26, 2017) –Wakefern Food Corp. President and COO Joe Sheridan has announced the company’s participation in this year’s A Walk to Believe, One Step Closer with Team LeGrand to benefit the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
The 5K Run/Walk/Roll was established in 2010 to show support for Eric LeGrand, a former star Rutgers University football player who was paralyzed after suffering a spinal cord injury during a game.
Sheridan, who serves as president and COO of New Jersey-based Wakefern, the largest U.S. retailer-owned cooperative in the country and the merchandising and distribution arm for ShopRite, Price Rite and The Fresh Grocer stores, announced plans to field a Wakefern team headed by associate Mike Luciano in this year’s 5K at Rutgers. Luciano was a teenager when he was paralyzed during a diving accident in a friend’s backyard swimming pool.
“Eric LeGrand has become one of the nation’s leading advocates for paralysis and spinal cord injury research. That’s why this cause is especially important to me,” said Luciano, a business analyst at Wakefern. “I’m so thankful to my (Wakefern) colleagues for showing this support and sponsoring a team to raise money for this important cause.”
“We are proud to join forces with Mike for the 7th Annual Walk to Believe,” noted Sheridan. “One of the great things about our Wakefern associates is their commitment to community and willingness to do good work beyond the office. Hundreds of our associates will also volunteer at the New Jersey Special Olympics in June and many others will help out at the upcoming ShopRite LPGA Classic, which raises money for dozens of charities in New Jersey.”
Wakefern will cover entry fee costs for associates and match all associate donations through its Wakefern Matching Gifts platform. All money raised by the “Wakefern Walks With Mike” team will benefit the Christopher
& Dana Reeve Foundation.
A Walk to Believe raises awareness and funds to help people with spinal cord injuries and advance research into cures for paralysis. The 5K kicks off at 10:30 AM Sunday, June 4 at High Point Solutions Stadium-Scarlet Lot, located at Rutgers University. Check-in begins at 8:00 AM for all race participants.
Wakefern welcomes all associates to sign up or donate to the race. Additional information about the walk and how to register or donate can be found by visiting http://awalktobelieve.org
About Wakefern Food Corp.
From a small, local cooperative that began with eight grocery store owners, Wakefern Food Corp. has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. Founded in 1946, the cooperative comprises 50 members who today independently own and operate 343 supermarkets under the ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer, Price Rite and Dearborn Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia. Together with its member companies, Wakefern employs more than 70,000 people, and is one of the largest employers in New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.wakefern.com.
