Wawa workers will turn seven tons of ingredients into 25,000 Shorti hoagies on Wawa Hoagie Day, Thursday, June 26.

Wawa's free hoagie giveaway to charities and the public is back once again, with about 150 Wawa workers up bright and early to assemble the thousands of lunchmeat delivery vessels, wrap them and get them in the hands of thousands of hungry Philadelphians.

Forty percent of the assembled sandwiches will go to charity, with 7,500 going to Philabundance and 2,500 split between the Police Athletic League and the Veterans Multi-Service Center. The remainder will be handed out to hoagie lovers who show up for the giveaway, free of charge.

Workers start the assemblage at 5 a.m. and build at a rate of 5,000 hoagies an hour to be wrapped up by 10 a.m. These are all turkey hoagies, by the way.

If you tuned in on CBS News Philadelphia throughout the morning, you might have seen recently retired Eagles legend Brandon Graham, the Birds' mascot Swoop, or Wawa's Wally Goose and Shorti Hoagie mascots.

We caught up with Graham as he worked on the hoagie assembly line.

"It's all about service, that's why everybody's here today," he told us.

Wawa had rescheduled other Wawa Welcome America events this week due to extreme heat, but thankfully, Thursday is a little cooler and this one is still on as scheduled.

The Welcome America slate of events leads up to the July 4 fireworks and concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with Jazmine Sullivan and LL Cool J headlining this year.

What is Wawa Hoagie Day?

Once a year, around Independence Day, Wawa workers build thousands of hoagies and give them away to military, police, fire and veterans. 

Wawa says the first Hoagie Day was 33 years ago in 1992, when Mayor Ed Rendell declared the hoagie "the Official Sandwich of Philadelphia."

The first batches of free hoagies go to police and veterans, and there will be a check presentation from the proceeds that Wawa customers contributed to raise funds in support of the United Service Organizations (USO).

In addition to the Hoagie Day sandwiches, all Wawa stores on Thursday will be donating 30 hoagies to "everyday heroes serving their local communities."

How to get one of Wawa's 15,000 free hoagies today in Philadelphia

Wawa's Hoagie Day celebration for the public kicks off at 12 p.m. on Arch Street and Independence Mall, between 5th and 6th streets in front of the National Constitution Center.

With the supply limited, you might want to get there early if you can, then get in line.

The noon event also includes a performance from the Six-String Soldiers.

After you chow down, you can enjoy free admission to the NCC all day.