Vikings & Hy-Vee Deliver Gratitude & Groceries to…

Bercich guided Wendy Green and her sons — Jonathan Weikel (16), Gus Green (11) and Mark Green (8) — through Vikings history before Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer arrived with the surprise news that the family will receive free groceries for a year from Hy-Vee.

“I know it’s tough, but you guys are pillars of strength, so we really appreciate you,” Zimmer said. “On behalf of the Minnesota Vikings and Hy-Vee, we want to give you groceries for a year.”

Zimmer, whose wife Vikki passed away in 2009 at age 50, learned that Jonathan is a wrestler, Gus is a rocker and Mark plays football and basketball. He also learned Wendy served in the Army, along with her late husband Ian Weikel and her second husband Carson Green.

“Today was such a great day for us. I just feel like we’re invigorated and excited to be a part of the program,” Wendy said. “We feel so blessed, especially by the people we’ve met and the tour with Pete. Meeting the coach? Are you kidding? That was so amazing.”

Hannah Anderson, a mother of twin sons Jaxon and Jameson, was unable to make the event, but Zimmer passed along the surprise news of the groceries via FaceTime from the Vikings Museum.

“At Hy-Vee, we appreciate all of the veterans and everything they’ve done,” said Carl Haidar, Hy-Vee District Vice President, Twin Cities East Division, “but in this case, we wanted to go a little above and beyond to show our deep appreciation to Wendy’s family and Hannah’s family.”