Community Giving

At Whole Foods Market, we are proud to be an active participant in Petaluma’s vibrant community. We have several donation and community support programs available and welcome opportunities to deepen our relationships with the  community.

Community 5% Days

Our Community 5% 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 a local non-profit organization. Customers help support our selected organizations just by shopping on these 5% Days.

For information on applying for a 5% Day, email petalumainfo@wholefoods.com.

General Donation Requests

Every month we work to support our local community with donations. In most cases, we prefer to support events or organizations that contribute to one or more of the following:

• Education
• Environmental Preservation
• Preventative Health Care
• Hunger Relief
• Organic Farming/Sustainable Food Resources
• Arts and Education

Because Whole Foods Market Petaluma believes in being an active community member, requests from other civic and charitable groups are also considered if the organization is in the immediate vicinity of our store, meets our core values, and funding is available.

Recipients must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.  We ask that all donation requests be submitted at least 4-6 weeks prior to the event date and the “pick-up” date in order to be considered.  Because the donations budget is limited, early submission of your application is recommended. 

To request a donation, it is preferred that organizations use our Online Donation Application

Nickels for Nonprofits Program

When customers bring in their own bags for groceries they have the option of receiving five cents credit (per bag) or donating the money to a selected charity.  Two or three organizations are selected each quarter, or about four times a year.  Funds raised through the registers are split evenly among the participating organizations.  All 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations may apply.

Current Nickels for Nonprofit recipients for our 2nd Quarter (January 16 – April 9, 2012) are as follows:

• Committe on the Shelterless – COTS has helped thousands to rebuild their lives. Award-winning programs provide almost 350 beds every night, serves over 124,000 meals a year, and delivers over 750,000 pounds of food annually. www.cots.org
• American Cancer Foundation dedicated to helping persons who face cancer. Supports research, patient services, early detection, treatment and education.   www.cancer.org/index

 To nominate YOUR organization to be a Nickels recipient, complete and forward the program application, along with a copy of your organization’s 501(c)3 letter from the IRS.

Nickels for Nonprofits Application

Send all requests to petalumainfo@wholefoods.com. You can also mail them directly to the store or drop them off at our customer service desk.

Scrip Program to Benefit Local Schools

A great way for parents to help raise money for their schools while doing their ordinary shopping!  Similar to other scrip programs, Whole Foods Market’s Scrip program benefits local schools by offering a percentage of dollars purchased in-store by participating parents to schools.  Our new scrip program operates through gift cards that schools purchase at a discount and resell to parents.  Parents who shop at Whole Foods Market can now do so with the gift cards, leaving the school with the benefit of the discounted amount, at no additional cost to parents. 

• Scrip may be purchased in any denomination; schools will receive a 4% discount on the purchase. Our scrip is available on gift cards in $10, $25, $50 or $100 denominations.  It is not necessary to spend the entire amount on the card in one purchase – your balance will remain on the card for future use. Our scrip is redeemable at all Whole Foods Markets across the nation.
• Schools may sign up for our School Scrip Program by contacting petalumainfo@wholefoods.com for an application form.  Private schools must also submit a copy of their 501(c)3 letter from the IRS in order to complete the application.  All public schools are eligible to apply.

 

Community Organizations

If you are looking for a way to support or get involved with your community, here are some local organizations Whole Foods Market, Petaluma supports:

Committee on the Shelterless (COTS)

COTS offers help and hope to homeless persons in Sonoma County by providing safe shelter and housing, helping people develop steady incomes and helping them get back under a roof of their own.

Blood Bank of the Redwoods

Blood Bank of the Redwoods is a full-service blood center that has been serving North Bay communities 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 58 years.

Redwood Empire Food Bank

REFB serves 50,000 people each month, and is Sonoma County’s largest hunger-relief organization. REFB acquires food and distributes it through a network of charitable agencies and their own food assistance programs, and also provides food to Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties through smaller food banks. In addition, the REFB advocates for effective legislation that will provide long-term solutions to hunger in our community.

Petaluma People Services Center (PPSC) – Meals on Wheels program

Petaluma People Services Center is dedicated to improving the social and economic health of our community by providing programs that strengthen the dignity and self-sufficiency of the individual. Meals on Wheels program provides hot, nutritious meals to homebound seniors, aged 60 yrs. and older, who have no means of preparing meals for themselves. Meals-on-Wheels, provides a continuous lifeline of nutritious food with real human connections homebound elders in Petaluma and Penngrove. We help elders live with dignity in the comfort of their own homes and chosen communities. Our staff and volunteers have deep respect for the people we serve.

Animal Compassion Foundation

Whole Foods Market created the non-profit Animal Compassion Foundation as a natural progression of our efforts to help producers evolve their practices for raising farm animals naturally and humanely. Our ongoing financial support will enable the Animal Compassion Foundation to:

• Search the globe for ideas and innovations from ranchers and farmers who are raising their farm animals compassionately
• Create a worldwide network of animal compassionate producers to share knowledge and improve practices.
• Collect knowledge of compassionate husbandry methods in an online library to assist interested producers to successfully adopt these techniques.
• Provide research money to producers for on-farm research and to animal scientists to seek solutions to current husbandry issues.

Conservation Corps North Bay

Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB) works to develop youth and conserve natural resources for a strong, sustainable community through providing a diverse group of youth and young adults with opportunities to transform their lives through education, employability, civic engagement, and leadership; caring for our environment by conserving and restoring natural resources, and by improving recreational areas; creating the environmental leaders of the future by teaching environmental ethics and behaviors to children, teens and adults; and by making communities safer by reducing fire and flood hazards and by responding to public emergencies and disasters. All of these gains and personal achievements take place in the context of learning to appreciate the value of conserving and protecting the North Bay’s precious natural resources. www.conservationcorpsnorthbay.org or e-mail info@conservationcorpsnorthbay.org.

The Phoenix theater

A community organization providing a variety of services to local youth, with a continued focus on music. The Phoenix Center is a place where teens are encouraged and empowered to engage in music and performing arts, with programs that create a variety of opportunities for learning and self-expression. For more info: http://www.thephoenixtheater.com/about.html

Petaluma Educational Foundation

Since 1982, Petaluma Educational Foundation (PEF) has funded over $3,000,000 in grants to Petaluma teachers and schools, scholarships for graduating high school students and countless live theater and music performances. PEF programs benefit over 32,000 students in all 33 Petaluma area public, private and charter schools. The mission of PEF is to foster excellence in education through innovative and sustainable programs. Information on PEF Grants, Scholarships and special events available at www.pefinfo.com and by calling 707-778-4632.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Petaluma

Celebrating 50 Years, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Petaluma serves over 3,841 youth at 10 Clubhouses in Petaluma with a variety of programs including Sports, Fitness & Recreation, Health & Life Skills, Education & Career Development, Character & Leadership Development, & The Arts. Through their Youth Development Strategy, it is their Mission to inspire and enable all youth, especially those who need it most, to become caring, productive and responsible citizens. More info available at www.petalumabgc.org/ or call (707)769-5322.

Hospice of Petaluma

For the past 31 years Hospice of Petaluma has been dedicated to providing compassionate, personalized, hospice care for patients and families facing a life threatening illness. We honor the life and the time when people are preparing for end of life. We are committed to providing expert care for physical and emotional comfort so the time remaining can be lived fully. In addition to our direct patient care, our hospice provides grief services to our patients, families and to the community following the loss of a loved one. For more info: 707-778-6242.

Sonoma County After School Network (SCAN)

Sonoma County After School Network (SCAN) members not only provide high quality after school services to over 10,000 children in 50 Sonoma County schools, they also collaborate to create opportunities for after school programs to enhance and expand their services. These opportunities include: Training for over 500 after school staff throughout the County – Coaching for New and Existing After School Programs – Information Dissemination and Sharing Best Practices – Outreach to the Community. To learn more, visit www.sonomacan.org

Daily Acts

Powered by Boundless Hope, Daily Acts is committed to reclaiming the richness of all life by providing the inspiration, tools and opportunities which empower and support people to live full lives by embracing and recreating the impact of our individual and collective daily actions as they ripple out into the world.　More info at: http://www.dailyacts.org/sustainability-series