Food Lion and its customers said thank you to veterans Wednesday morning in two million ways.

That was $2 million, raised through partnerships with the supermarket chain’s vendors. As customers bought items identified as part of the “Believe in Heroes” in-store campaign at Food Lion over recent weeks, part of the proceeds went to the project.

Food Lion officials presented a $2 million check to the Wounded Warrior Project during a Veterans Day breakfast at the company’s Founder’s Hall on Harrison Road.

Attendees also heard a testimontial from U.S. Army veteran Deven Schei, whose father and brother served in the U.S. Army. After his brother, Erik, took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom and suffered a catastrophic injury that rendered him quadriplegic, Schei promised to finish the job his brother started, and joined the Army as well.

His tour of duty in Afghanistan was cut short when he was hit by four 80 mm rockets. His painful recovery included more than 17 surgeries. He reached out to the Wounded Warrior Project and received support and encouragement.

Others on hand for the event were Rudy DiPietro, vice president, Food Lion merchandising; Joe Aldret, vice president, Grocery–Delhaize America, Acosta; and Tim Crosby, manager of strategic partnerships for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Food Lion also offered a 10 percent discount to active, retired and honorably discharged military personnel on Veterans Day, and the company is donating 200,000 meals this week to military families through its FoodLion Feeds program in partnership with Feed the Children and the USO of North Carolina. The families supported are at military bases in eastern North Carolina.

Because of the company’s military support, Food Lion was honored with the Department of Defense’s highest honor for employers, the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves (ESGR) Freedom Award, for its programs and services for military associates in 2010.

The Wounded Warrior Project’s mission is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women help each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs.

WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla. For more information, go to woundedwarriorproject.org.