Pei It Forward

Arizona has one of the highest percentages of child hunger in the nation, with one in four children facing food insecurity statewide. September is national Hunger Action Month and Pei Wei is proud to support the cause by partnering with St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, the world’s first food bank, to fund more than 70,000 meals for Arizonans in need.
The Arizona-based fast casual restaurant is kicking off its “Pei It Forward” cause-related initiative in Phoenix as the presenting sponsor of St. Mary’s “30 Ways in 30 Days” campaign. In addition to making a sizable monetary donation to the food bank, Pei Wei will fund one meal for a local family in need for every Kids Wei meal purchased at Phoenix-metro Pei Wei locations during the month of September.
“The food insecurity statistics in Arizona are staggering, especially concerning children,” said Siobhan Richards, Pei Wei spokesperson. “Since Phoenix is our home base and food is our business, partnering with St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance was a natural fit to help alleviate hunger locally and generate awareness for such an important cause.”
To celebrate national “Go Orange Day” on Thursday, Sept. 3, Pei Wei will donate 500 Kids Wei meals to a Title I low-income elementary school in Phoenix with a high percentage of children on the free and/or reduced lunch program.
Additionally, Pei Wei employees will volunteer their time at St. Mary’s that afternoon, assembling emergency food boxes for those in need.
“Hunger Action Month helps food banks across the country raise awareness for hunger and encourages the community to join in the fight,” said St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance president and CEO Beverly Damore. “We thank Pei Wei for sponsoring Hunger Action Month and helping us ‘go orange’ to assist the one in four children in Arizona at risk of hunger each day.”