The recent holiday season proved to be a successful one for Whole Foods Market's children's foundation, as the supermarket partnered with a payments provider to raise more than $100,000 for the nonprofit by selling specific curated gift cards at their stores nationwide.
Part of Whole Foods Market's proceeds from the gift card sales will benefit the Whole Kids Foundation, which seeks to help educate children and increase their access to healthy food options such as fresh fruit and vegetables.
More than two dozen school garden grants will be funded with the money raised. Fifteen garden groups hosted by the foundation and Life Lab, which offers gardening educational opportunities to kids, will also be supported by the proceeds.
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The foundation has helped fund more than 3,700 school gardens, introduced nearly 4,800 salad bars in schools and put $18 million into nutritional programs for four million-plus kids in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. over the past several years, according to a Whole Foods Market press statement.
Nona Evans, executive director and president of Whole Kids Foundation, told Justmeans that, “These funds will allow us to reach thousands more students, increasing their access to healthy food.”
The fundraising effort will continue for the rest of the year, as the major brand-name gift cards sold by retailers will have to be made of recyclable materials such as paper or wood by this fall.
“Through the sustainable gift card options and the contribution to Whole Kids Foundation, we hope to change current prepaid industry standards for the better,” Marushka Bland, director of payments marketing for Whole Foods Market, told Justmeans.
“Best of all, this gives customers a way to stretch their dollar with every gift card purchase, allowing them to give back without spending more,” she added.
