Community Giving

Donations to Your Non-Profit Organization

Thank you for thinking of Whole Foods Market in Jenkintown for support of your community event. Whole Foods Market has strong ties to our local communities and helps many organizations with donations of food, raffle items, or gift cards. To request a donation, please stop by our Customer Service desk and pick up a Donation Request Form. The completed form should be returned to Customer Service along with a copy of your 501c3 letter from the IRS verifying your non-profit status. If we are able to be of assistance, we will contact you before your event.

Here are some tips to help us process your application faster: 

Due to the volume of applications that we receive, we regret that we cannot grant every request.  We evaluate applications based on the following guidelines:

• Complete a Donation Request Form available from our Customer Service desk. Requests by phone, e-mail, and fax are not accepted. Please submit a request to one store location only.  That store should be closest to the community that your organization serves.  Please do not turn in a donation request to multiple stores for consideration.
• The recipient must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.  A copy of the 501(c)3 letter from the IRS must accompany the application in order for your request to be considered.  This letter comes from the Treasury Department and is different from a state tax-exempt form.  If your application is not accompanied by a copy of the 501(c)3 letter, it will not be considered.
• Additionally, a letter of request on your organization’s letterhead must accompany the request.  If it is a special event, please also include any flyers or mailers you may have promoting the event. You may also attach any additional literature you feel is important.
• The application and accompanying paperwork must be received at least six weeks prior to the “pick up” date in order to be considered.  Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Because the donation budget is limited, early submission of your application is recommended.
• We do not donate to individuals, individuals seeking pledges, multiple requests from the same organization or organizations and/or causes outside of the store area.  Past support of an organization or an event is not a guarantee of future support.

Although we would like to support every worthwhile cause, due to the volume of applications, it is not possible for Whole Foods Market to fulfill every request.  Each approved organization is eligible for no more than one donation per calendar year.

Financial Donations

Whole Foods Market in Jenkintown works with local non-profit organizations on a daily basis by offering in-kind donations of food, drink, raffle items, and more. Although most of our donations are in the form of products we offer in our store, we also have some fabulous programs where charitable organizations can raise funds to help their cause. To apply for any of the following fundraisers, please pick up a Donation Request Form from our Customer Service desk and check the appropriate box at the top of the page.

5% Giving Days

Our 5% Giving Days are one meaningful way we give back to our community. On designated days throughout the year a total of 5% of the day’s net sales are donated to local non-profit organizations. Customers help support our selected organizations just by shopping on these special 5% Giving Days.

We select recipients based on seasonal themes that include Hunger Relief, Environment, Education, and Store Choice. Applications for 5% Giving Days remain on file in our Jenkintown store for 1 year. If, after that time, your group has not been selected we ask that you update your application and reapply. There is currently a long waiting list of 5% Giving Day applications on file. We strongly suggest looking into one of our other fundraising opportunities as the waiting list is shorter and the programs are extremely beneficial. (Groups may only receive one 5% Giving Day and are only considered for our other fundraising programs if there is no other organization in the queue.)

 Nickels for Non-Profits

Whenever you reuse a bag at check-out, Whole Foods Market gives you 5 cents back. You can choose to have your nickel applied to your bill or you can now donate your nickel to a local non-profit organization. (If you choose to donate your nickels, our cashiers give you a wooden nickel to drop in the donation box in our main exit vestibule.)  Every season we offer two new local groups the chance to receive your donation.

Giving Grill

Our customers and Team Members love a good Giving Grill! During the warmer months we wheel out our trusty grill and fire it up to cook juicy burgers, plump hot dogs, mouth-watering portabella mushrooms, and healthy veggie burgers. We donate all of the food and 100% of the money collected goes to a local charity. The selected group joins us on the sidewalk that day to tell you about their important work. (Sometimes they even have a fun activity for the kids!) Giving Grills take place once a month during the spring and summer.

Recent donation recipients include:

• Whole Kids Foundation
• Storybook Musical Theatre
• The Breathing Room Foundation
• Katie’s Foundation for Childhood Safety
• Lines of Hope
• ALS Hope Foundation
• Rydal Elementary School
• PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture)
• TechGirlz
• Briar Bush Nature Center
• Dining for Women
• CONCERN
• Jenkintown Education Foundation
• Delaware Riverkeepers
• Friends of High School Park
• Breastfeeding Resource Center
• Pennypack Creek Clean-up
• HOPE Lodge of the American Cancer Society
• Communities in Schools of Philadelphia
• Redeemer Valley Community Garden
• Jenkintown Day Nursery
• St. Hillary’s School Garden

Good Stuff From Around Here

We have supported local growers and producers since 1980. Buying local means supporting local communities, jobs, independent farmers and producers; it also reduces the distance from farm to plate, and lets you stay connected to the seasons. We hope you will stop by and help us support our local growers. If you are a local producer interested in joining us for this year’s markets, please e-mail dana.sommers@wholefoods.com