The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association PFMA is accepting applications for the 2021 Thomas R. and Laura Ridge Scholarship. Eligible students can receive a one-year scholarship up to $2,500 for the 2021-22 academic year.
Current employees and the children of company owners who are PFMA members can apply for the scholarship at PFMA.org. All applications are due no later than March 1, 2021.
“Each year, it is such a pleasure to award Ridge Scholarships to dozens of well-deserving, hard-working students. This scholarship provides funding that enables them to reach their educational goals,” said Alex Baloga, president and CEO of PFMA. “This opportunity wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our partners, including Wawa, Karns, Sheetz, Rutter’s and Giant/Martin’s.
A panel of judges evaluates applications based on academic record, school and community involvement, a personal essay and recommendations from school and work. This past year, 22 students received a total of $44,500 through the program.
Named for the parents of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, the Ridge Scholarship honors Thomas R. Ridge, who was a member of the food industry for 25 years, and his wife Laura, who was a great advocate of education for Tom Ridge, his brother David and sister Vikki.
Since 1996, 578 students have received the Ridge Scholarships, totaling more than $1.1 million.
The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, a statewide trade association, advocates the views of nearly 800 convenience stores, supermarkets, independent grocers, wholesalers and consumer product vendors. PFMA members operate more than 3,500 stores and employ more than 250,000 Pennsylvanians. For more information on PFMA, visit pfma.org.
