Whole Foods Market to Benefit Local Beekeepers
Whole Foods Market is helping shoppers feel a little pride in their purchases with its Community Support Day scheduled for Tuesday, February 19th. On this day, the store will donate five percent of net sales to Santa Barbara Beekeepers Association (SBBA), dedicated to the promotion and advancement of beekeeping through best management practices, the education and mentoring of people about honey bees and beekeeping, and increasing public awareness of environmental concerns affecting honey bees. SBBA is also fundraising for their newest project, Sweet Start, a nonprofit mentorship program with the goal of providing at-risk students with quality coaching and job training. Students willing to make a commitment to themselves, the bees, and the community will receive pre-job training and apply for internships through Sweet Start, and later matched with a mentor to learn the unique art of beekeeping. Interns will work in teams to create a business and marketing plan and sell honey products at local farmers markets. All interns will be compensated, as they would be in the job market, for their training and work.
“The Whole Foods donation will be used to educate and mentor people about honeybees and beekeeping to increase public awareness and environmental concerns affecting these special insects,” said Paul Cronshaw, President, Santa Barbara Beekeepers Association. “We are fortunate to have some of the most knowledgeable and experienced Beekeepers living right here in Santa Barbara, willing to share this knowledge and experience with us. Learning how to take care of the Honey Bee, so that she can continue taking care of us, is what we all hope to do.” For more information, visit http://www.sbba.org.
Whole Foods Market and the Santa Barbara Beekeepers Association are also collaborating on the installation of an Urban Rooftop Beehive to be located on the store’s roof and maintained by SBBA and Whole Foods Market Team Members. Look for more details about this exciting partnership in March, 2013.
As part of its commitment to supporting local causes in the communities in which it works, Whole Foods Market stores, nationwide, hold Community Support Days two times a year and donate five percent of that day’s net sales to a local nonprofit or educational organization.
To-date Whole Foods Market Santa Barbara has donated more than $16,000 to local organizations through their Community Support Day program, including PARC Foundation, Santa Barbara FoodBank, Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara, K-9 PALS, and Santa Barbara Police Activities League.
About Whole Foods Market®:
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America’s first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” by Health magazine. The company’s motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company’s more than 69,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 15 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2011, the company had sales of more than $10 billion and currently has more than 325 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
