Community Giving

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

Shop at Whole Foods Market NYC stores on Wednesday, September 16th and support The Council of the Environment of New York City.

The Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC) improves New York City's quality of life through environmental programs that transform communities block by block and empower all New Yorkers to secure a clean and healthy environment for future generations.  CENYC achieves its mission through the following projects and programs: Greenmarket, which runs 49 farmers markets throughout the city; Open Space Greening, which creates and rejuvenates community gardens and builds rainwater harvesting systems; Environmental Education, which offers meaningful projects in the areas of conservation, alternative energy and more in intermediate and high schools; the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education, which promotes recycling and waste prevention; Learn It, Grow It, Eat It, which offers teens hands-on nutrition and health programming; Youthmarkets, which oversees youth-operated urban farm stands; and the New Farmer Development Project, which helps immigrant farmers start their own farms in the region.  For more information, visit www.cenyc.org.

All proceeds from The Whole Foods Market 5% day will go directly to the Learn It, Grow It, Eat It program: An educational program that empowers high school students to engage their community in making the connection between food, health and the environment through year-round nutrition education, hands-on vegetable gardening, and by improving healthy, fresh, local food access.  LGE currently takes place in the Morrisania section of the South Bronx, combining in-school education, after-school programming and summer internships around nutrition education and urban agriculture. Youth learn how to grow herbs, fruits, and vegetables at three local community gardens and develop an array of skills ranging from botany, research and data collection to cooking, carpentry, team-building and leadership development.  Reaching more than 300 students in 4 schools each academic year, LGE works with dozens of volunteer and for-credit high school seniors through its classroom-to-garden based curriculum.  During the spring and summer breaks, LGE identifies and recruits promising high school students as paid interns to serve in their local community gardens. Participants grow food, conduct nutrition outreach and gardening education programs for people of all ages.  On a weekly basis, community members can purchase affordably priced fruits and vegetables at the Youthmarket farm stand, run by LGE participants.  Here students learn small business and marketing skills.

Donations

• Download our Donation Guidelines & Application.

Charitable Giving

Whole Foods Market is passionately committed to making a difference in the communities we serve. A percentage of our sales are used to benefit non-profit organizations on a monthly basis, and four times a year Whole Foods Market joins forces with one organization for a 5% Day. These days consist of in-store events and demos, and end with five percent of the day's sales being donated to the benefiting organization. Our 5% Days are planned far in advance and fall into themed categories, including Farms & Harvest, Environment, Hunger & Homelessness, and Back to School. If you would like to be considered for a 5% Day, please send information about your organization, along with the donation application, to the Marketing Team Leader in the appropriate store.

Daily Food Donations

Whole Foods Market Columbus Circle donates leftover fresh, prepared and non-perishable food to City Harvest that meets their donation guidelines. We are proud to have participated in daily food donations since we opened our doors in 2004!

Columbus Circle Community

We're thrilled to be a part of New York City and its diverse community. Some of the groups we have supported include:

Lincoln Square Business Improvement District

Children’s Museum of Manhattan

NY Sunworks

Food Bank For New York City
Whole Foods Market participates in Check Out Hunger campaign, our customers can add $1, $3, or $5 to their bill to help the hungry in New York City.

City Harvest
Since we opened our first New York City store in 2001, Whole Foods Market has donated over 205,698 pounds of food to City Harvest.

Lower East Side Girls Club
Sponsor of 10th Annual Willow Awards Benefit and the Lower East Side Girls Congress.

Girls and Boys Projects
5% Day recipient.

Council On The Environment of NYC
5% Day recipient: proceeds went to renovate the Miracle Garden, 3rd street and Avenue B.

Community Relations Contact
Monica Woodard | Marketing Team Leader
monica.woodard@wholefoods.com