AUBURN, Wash. — The Fred Meyer that sold the winning ticket for the $754.6 million Powerball Jackpot on Feb. 6 donated $50,000 to the Auburn Food Bank on Feb. 9.
The Fred Meyer store received a $50,000 check for selling the winning Powerball ticket. The donation was in honor of the company's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste campaign to end hunger and eliminate waste.
The money will provide approximately 66,000 meals to the community, according to a press release.
“Hunger and food insecurity are critical issues across the state and partnerships like this one with Fred Meyer and QFC aim to shrink the numbers of people facing food insecurity,” said Debbie Christian, executive director of the Auburn Food Bank.
According to a prepared statement from Fred Meyer President Todd Kammeyer, Fred Meyer is giving $10,000 to the store that sold the ticket "for our associates to celebrate."
The winning ticket sold at the Auburn Fred Meyer was the fifth-largest jackpot in the history of the game. The ticket was sold Feb. 5. As of Feb. 9, it had still not been claimed.
The ticket is the second Powerball Jackpot to be won in Washington state. A woman won the $90 million jackpot in 2014 after buying the winning ticket in Auburn.
Winning players have 180 days from the drawing date to claim their prize. By law, the prizes that aren’t claimed are placed into a reserve account.
Marcus Galper, the director of the Washington Lottery, said Washington is not an anonymous state when it comes to revealing the winner’s identity.
“We currently release, if requested, certain information on the player,” Galper said.