Community Giving and Tours
At Whole Foods Market, we are active participants in our community. We are extremely proud of our community involvement and the relationships that we continue to make each month! We have several different donation and community support programs available and welcome opportunities for community involvement. We strive to make a difference!
Community Bulletin Board
We maintain a Community Board just outside our hallway near the restrooms on the main floor of the store. All items submitted for consideration for posting on the community board must either be free to the public or benefit an area non-profit only, and items will be posted for no more than three weeks. We do not allow posting of advertisements for businesses, for-profit events, business cards, real estate, etc. Any item that you would like posted should be left at our Customer Service desk for approval by our Community Liaison. Any posted directly on the community board without approval will be removed and discarded.
We do not allow solicitation by outside groups in front of or inside the store. This includes sales of items to benefit local non-profit groups or schools. It is a company-wide policy.
Community Support Days
Once a quarter on a designated day throughout the year, Whole Foods Market contributes a total of 5% of the day’s net sales to a local Non-profit organization (Community Support Days). We work together with the participating group to promote the organization, finding fun and creative ways to generate sales the day of the event. The participating organization must have the capability to promote the event within their organization and out to the community via a newsletter, meeting, emails, press releases, social media, etc. On a CSD, the chosen organization will need to maintain a staffed information table throughout the day to allow customers to get to know and interact with the organization. Our Community Support Days are one meaningful way we give back to our community. Customers help support our selected organizations just by shopping on these 5% Days.
Our last 5% day recipient was a combination of Comfort the Children $3,478.39 and The Whole Planet Foundation $2,318.93!
Our next event is scheduled on Wednesday the 30th of May, where our recipient is San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation. Join us from 4-7pm that night for our Sprintime in Paris event! Oooh-la-la!
5% Day Application for 2012 is here!
General Donation Request
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:
- Environmental Preservation
- Preventative Health Care
- Hunger Relief
- Organic Farming/Sustainable Food Resources
- Arts and Education
Because Whole Foods Market San Mateo believes in being an active community member, requests from other civic and charitable groups will also be considered if the organization is in the immediate vicinity of our store location, meets our core values, and funding is available. We are currently accepting applications for June 2012 and beyond.
Recipients must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. In the state of California, it is illegal for Whole Foods Market to donate wine – even to a charity.
We ask that all donation requests be submitted at least 6-8 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.
Some of our recent local non-profit recipients have been the Hillsdale School Family Association, Hillsborough School Foundation, Portola Elementary, St. Gregory School, Britain Acres Elementary School, the Nueva School, the San Mateo Public Library, the Burlingame Library Foundation, the American Heart Association, KCSM, Meadow Heights Elementary, Foster City Flyers, the City of San Mateo, San Mateo YMCA, San Mateo County Firefighters Assoc., Mid Peninsula Boys & Girls Club, Hillsborough Auxiliary to Community Gatepath, City of Hope San Francisco, Nebbir Elementary, George Hall School, Millbrae School District, Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, San Mateo Gymnastics, Jewish Community Federation, Hillsdale High, San Mateo County MLK Day, Primrose Food Bank, Crystal Springs Uplands School, Bayside STEM Academy, The Carey School, St Matthews Episcopal Day School, Laurel Elementary PTA, Vallemar PTO, CSM Outreach, The Bing School and dozens more….
Download the General Donation Application
Adobe Acrobat Donation Application can be found here!
Introducing our new School Scrip Program
We are excited to announce our new and improved School Scrip Program! Whole Foods Market San Mateo partners with local schools and non-profits to provide a 4% discount on group purchases of gift cards to be sold as a fundraiser for the organization. To sign up or receive more information on how your school can participate please download the Scrip Application below or contact Hsu-Lien Rivera (650) 358-6900 EXT. 260 / send email hsu-lien.rivera@wholefoods.com
Nickels for Nonprofits
Check out our program at Whole Foods Market, San Mateo where you can give nickels to non-profits! Every time you bring in your own bags for your groceries, you receive a 5¢ refund as our way of saying “thank you”. Now, you can donate that money to selected non-profits or have 5¢ deducted from your total purchase. If you are a non-profit organization and would like to be considered for this program, you can download an application below.
For our last couple of Nickels for Non Profits recipient, Northern California Animal Rescue, we raised $2,264.00; My New Red Shoes, we raised $2158.25; Human Investment Project (HIP) Housing, we raised $1,743.15; Homework Central, we raised 2619.30; The Art of Yoga Project, we raised $2227.70!
For this fiscal period, we’ve selected The Peninsula Humane Society/SPCA, as our recipient. To learn more about our partnership, please click on the link above.
Nickels for Non Profit Application
Store Tour Request
Let us show you around! We are always excited to introduce people to our store. Whether you have a school class, scout group or club, we have a tour for you! Tours have a standard format, but can easily be customized to meet your particular needs. Should you have requests, please provide details about specific subjects we should cover.
NOTE: Please be advised that during the holidays there will be no tours scheduled until after January 2012.
Gluten Free Tour Request
We’ve put together extensive lists of gluten-free products available by clicking here. As your partner in good health, we’re committed to bringing you the highest quality products available for any diet. Our gluten-free shopping list is only a guide to assist you in your shopping for products available for your dietary needs. Ingredients may change, so always read the label and/or check with the manufacturer.
To learn more about it, please click here Whole Foods Market Gluten-Free Official Website!
Let us show you around! Our Grocery ATL, Art is back by popular demand! He will start the tours back up every first Thursday of each month at 6:00pm starting on August 4th! To sign up for the gluten-free tour, you can either visit the Customer Service Desk or send an email to hsu-lien.rivera at wholefoods.com
We have made every effort to be as accurate as possible; however, we cannot be held responsible for individual reactions to any products, nor can we guarantee the absence of cross-contamination. The information provided here is for educational purposes only. In no way should it be considered as medical advice. Please keep in mind that there are products available in this category that may not be shown on our list.
Did you know?
According to the American Forest and Paper Association, in 1999 the United States alone used 10 billion paper grocery bags, requiring the cutting of 14 million trees. According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
