Volunteers from Wakefern Food Corp. and ShopRite Mark Earth Day Cleaning Up Old Bridge Waterfront Park

Wakefern & ShopRite of Old Bridge Team Up with Middlesex County Office of Parks and Recreation to Clear Litter and Debris from Shoreline

Keasbey, NJ (April 22, 2025) – Nearly 50 team members from the supermarket cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. and the ShopRite of Old Bridge volunteered this Earth Day to clean Old Bridge Waterfront Park. Teaming up with the Middlesex County Office of Parks and Recreation, volunteers cleared approximately 30 bags of litter and debris to beautify the shoreline and protect the waterway and coastal wildlife.

Wakefern volunteers who collected nearly 400 pounds of trash from Old Bridge Waterfront Park during an Earth Month volunteer day last year wanted to come back and help this Earth Day. The New Jersey-based retailer-owned supermarket cooperative is also the distribution and merchandising arm of ShopRite stores, and this year the team from nearby ShopRite of Old Bridge joined Wakefern volunteers for the cleanup effort.

The new, state-of-the-art ShopRite of Old Bridge opened last year in the Glenwood Green Shopping Plaza on Rt. 9.

“Old Bridge ShopRite associates are thrilled to be part of this effort to keep our local park clean for park goers and the wildlife that live there,” said Perry Blatt, director of E-Commerce and Business Development for Village Super Market, Inc., a Wakefern Member company and the family business that owns the ShopRite of Old Bridge. “Our commitment to service extends beyond our supermarket into the neighborhoods where our stores operate. Community is important to us because we are family-run here, we live here and work here.”

“It is our great privilege to work with the Middlesex County Office of Parks and Recreation and ShopRite of Old Bridge to help clean up Old Bridge Waterfront Park and keep harmful litter out of the Raritan Bay,” added Alexandra Emery, Manager of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility for Wakefern & ShopRite. “Our Wakefern team members take pride in the work they do for our cooperative Members and customers. But days like this – when we get to step outside and make a difference in the communities our stores serve – are extra special.”

In just one day, volunteers helped remove 30 bags of debris and litter from Old Bridge Waterfront Park – including household trash, cigarette buds and plastic bottles and bottle caps.

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 nearly 50 member families that today independently own and operate hundreds of supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, Fairway Market and Di Bruno Bros. banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. For more information, please visit www.wakefern.com.

About ShopRite
ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ, and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. With hundreds of ShopRite supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves millions of customers each week. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Since the program began in 1999, ShopRite Partners In Caring has donated $65 million to food banks that support more than 2,500 worthy charities. As a title sponsor of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, ShopRite has donated $40 million to local organizations, hospitals and community groups. For more information, please visit www.ShopRite.com.