On January 7, Wholley took custody of a man who was caught stealing four pre-made sandwiches. When the man claimed he shoplifted the food because he's been hungry, Wholley returned to the Cumberland Farms store and purchased the sandwiches worth $9.16.
His actions are an outcome of Laconia's POP program: problem-oriented policing, [image-nocss] which acknowledges that many crimes can be rooted in desperation that comes from hunger and lack of shelter.
According to Cumberland Farms, citing Feeding America, one in eight Americas struggle with hunger, and with the unemployment rate rising demand is going up week over week.
To acknowledge Wholley's act of compassion, Cumberland Farms president Ari Haseotes
presented a $1,000 donation to Wholley, Laconia police chief Michael Moyer for the Laconia Police Relief Fund and $2,500 to the New Hampshire Food Bank.
Haseotes and Cumberland Farms also served lunch to approximately 50 of Laconia's hungry at the Salvation Army.
Canton, Mass.-based Cumberland Farms operates a network of approximately 900 retail stores and gas stations and a support system including petroleum and grocery distribution operations spans 11 states across the Northeast and Florida, making it the largest convenience store/ petroleum marketer in the Northeast.
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