VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Thursdays are grocery days for Beverly Zimmerman-Wright and Clifton Wright. The Norfolk couple drives to Wegmans in Virginia Beach.
But the items on their grocery list aren't for stocking their own pantry.
Instead, all the food and essential goods they collect go to about 250 homes every week across Hampton Roads.
"It is our goal not to keep any perishable foods anywhere," said Zimmerman-Wright.
She and her husband launched Johnathan Cares in July 2020. The nonprofit collects donations from food industry partners and ensures they get into the hands of people who need it most.
"We rescue food so that we can give that food to people who face food insecurities," Zimmerman-Wright said.
The couple separates some donated items into "goodie boxes" to take to specific homes, depending on their nutritional needs. Everything else is given away during a food distribution.
They said the work is a labor of love, which is the emotion that also fueled the selection of the nonprofit's name.
"Johnathan is our son who was born with a rare form of dwarfism... called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita... Tragically, one day, he had a massive seizure, and he couldn't come back from it. So, he passed away," Wright said.
Johnathan spent the first 14 months of his life in the hospital and was just four years old when he died. Wright said he and his wife decided to help others after receiving so much community support while caring for Johnathan.
"We're [going to] turn everything we do into something positive with his name," Wright said.
Zimmerman-Wright said the redistribution process also helps their corporate partners reach sustainability goals "by rescuing the food and non-food items that would have ultimately ended up into the landfills."
Wegmans in Virginia Beach has been one of their partners since the store opened.
"Johnathan Cares is a phenomenal organization," said Merchandising Area Manager Sean Barger. "They're reaching out and helping partners in our community, and it's something that Wegmans upholds as one of our highest values."
Barger said Wegmans' stores donated 32 million pounds of perishable and non-perishable goods to charitable organizations last year.
"Since the store opened, we've donated 34,000 pounds to Johnathan Cares," Barger said.
After collecting donations from the store on Thursday mornings, Wright and Zimmerman-Wright try to distribute food and items that same day. Then, they collect about $1,000 worth of donations from two local Panera Bread locations on Thursday nights. That food is then distributed on Friday mornings.
The Norfolk couple said they will continue working until no one has to go without what they need.
"We are a small group, but we do a big work," Zimmerman-Wright said. "We want to make sure that every person that we can touch does not go hungry."
Wright said they hope to make life as easy as possible for people experiencing hard times.
"We're no different than anyone else," Wright said. "We just do something different than everyone else."
Johnathan Cares is looking for a warehouse space to store and manage its inventory. The nonprofit also needs more business and community partners, volunteers, and donations.
If you would like to support, click here to connect with the group.