WAWA, Pa., March 21, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As a proud member of the Maryland community for nearly half a century, Wawa, Inc. is thrilled to celebrate Maryland Day on March 25 with a number of exciting in-store celebrations and fanfare, including special Maryland-themed foods and products, limited-edition Wawa Maryland Day swag for sale, and the announcement of a community partnership with Maryland Special Olympics to support the Unified Sports programs in their champion schools. 

To commemorate this historic day, all Maryland Wawa stores will welcome customers to join in the in-store fun, including:

• Free samples throughout the day of Wawa’s favorite foods and beverages
• Limited Edition Tervis Mugs with Maryland available for purchase at Maryland Wawa stores
• Maryland Day vanilla-iced donuts with red, yellow and black sprinkles available for purchase in all Maryland stores
• Free Maryland Day stickers featured on various Wawa products, including hoagie wrapping, donut boxes, beverages, and to give out throughout the day
• Exciting in-store decorations, signage, and “I Love MD”, fun Maryland themed props
• In-store photo station featuring Maryland Day props and decorations for customers to create memories that are perfect for sharing on social media

Additionally, in the spirit of celebrating and honoring the Maryland community, Wawa is thrilled to announce its continued commitment to Special Olympics Maryland Unified Sports® program with The Wawa Foundation statewide grant of $25,000. Four stores located in Halethorpe, Frederick, Salisbury and White Plains will feature events marking Wawa’s continued support of Special Olympics Maryland honoring the teams from the Unified Sports programs from some of the most acclaimed Champion Unified Sports schools.

“Wawa’s annual support and commitment to our vision of a world where opportunity is not limited by disability speaks to the quality of the organization,” Special Olympics Maryland President & CEO Jim Schmutz said. “Special Olympics Maryland is committed to reaching 20,000 athletes by 2025, and funding for important programs like Unified Champion Schools is critical. We greatly value this partnership and we are excited to work together in achieving our goals.”

Featured stores hosting events and honoring schools include:

• 3716 Washington Blvd., Halethorpe, MD 21227 (Store #8504) featuring Old Mill High School
• 4210 Crain Highway, White Plains, MD 20695 (Store #568) featuring McDonough High School
• 2740 North Salisbury Blvd., Salisbury, MD 21801 (Store #561) featuring Mardela High School
• 5833 Ballenger Creek Parkway, Frederick MD 21703 (Store #554) featuring Tuscarora High School

“Wawa has been serving customers across Maryland for nearly 50 years, and as we approach that historic milestone in the state, we are thrilled to celebrate Maryland Day with all those who have made the past five decades so special,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa President and CEO. “We are honored to be a part of so many wonderful communities, serve so many tremendous customers and work with so many dedicated associates throughout Maryland. We are proud of our Maryland heritage and can’t wait to continue to fulfill customers’ lives every day across the state!”  

“All of us at Wawa are proud to support the inspiring athletes of the Special Olympics and honor the heroes who have and will continue to change the game,” said Adam Schall Sr. Director of Operations and Wawa Foundation Board Member. We are thrilled to provide an additional financial grant to support the Special Olympics Maryland Unified Sports initiative, something we are passionate about.”

About Wawa, Inc.
Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960’s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for its dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services, and surcharge-free ATMs. A chain of more than 840 convenience retail stores (over 600 offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. The stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, specialty beverages, and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. In 2016 and 2017 Wawa was recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of America’s Best Large Employers, a survey-based ranking of employers offering the best associate experiences and strongest opportunities. In 2017 Wawa was the recipient of a Silver Plate Award in the category of Retail & Specialty Foodservice by the International Foodservice Manufacturers’ Association during their 63^rd Annual Award Event. Wawa was also designated as a 2017 Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

About Special Olympics Maryland
Special Olympics Maryland (SOMD) is a year-round sports organization dedicated to providing quality sports training and competition opportunities to Maryland’s children and adults with intellectual disabilities and/or closely related development disabilities. SOMD currently provides thousands of sports experiences annually for athletes statewide, and offers 27 sports, all at no cost to the athletes or their families. For more information about SOMD visit www.somd.org or call 410-242-1515.

CONTACT:          public.relations@wawa.com