Community Giving

Whole Foods Market Town & Country is dedicated to supporting our community. We are extremely proud of our community involvement and the relationships we continue to develop! We strive to make a difference by giving back to the community that supports us and the environment that sustains us. We are proud to partner with and donate to organizations and community events with our One Dime at a Time Program, In-Kind Donation program, Scrip Program, event sponsorships and Community Support Days.

One Dime at a Time Program

Whole Foods Market gives customers 10 cents for each bag they re-use for their purchased groceries. This program reduces our impact on the environment and now supports local non profit groups. Customers have the choice to accept their cash refund or donate the cash back to the store's chosen non profit organization.

Throughout January, February and March, customers will have the choice to accept their cash refund, or donate the cash back to our store's chosen non profit organization, The Little Bit Foundation (TLBF).  The Little Bit Foundation was born in 2001 out of a small request from an inner city school teacher and has grown into serving over 2,600 students in 12 schools throughout the St. Louis area. TLBF's 100+ volunteers develop strong partnerships with sponsored schools to offer consistent, empowering hope to children in need.  Our presence in the schools, working one-on-one with each child, combined with providing basic necessities such as clothing, shoes and coats, ensures each child's personal dignity and breaks down the barriers to learning and succeeding.  This consistent interaction, combined with these basic necessities has the power to change lives.

If your non profit organization is interested in becoming our next One Dime at a Time recipient, download the application form. Please complete the application and return it to our Customer Service desk, by fax or by mail to:

Whole Foods Market
Attention: Marcia Whelan/Marketing
marcia.whelan@wholefoods.com
1160 Town & Country Crossing Drive
Town & Country, MO 63017
636.527.1160 phone
636.527.1177 fax 

Monthly In-Kind Donation Program

Each Whole Foods Market store has a monthly budget designated for donations of gift baskets, gift cards and food to local not-for-profit organizations.

Recent Donations Include:

• KidSmart
• Department of Special Education
• Parkway West High School's Women's Basketball
• The Blessing Basket Project
• St. Louis County Library Foundation
• Stray Rescue of St. Louis

A Donation Request Form is required, and forms are available at our customer service counter. Requests must be received 8 weeks prior to the date of the event. If you have missed the deadline, please consider us for future donations. Please fill out the form, include your 501c3 letter from the federal IRS and return to the customer service desk or to:

Attention: Marcia Whelan/Marketing
marcia.whelan@wholefoods.com
1160 Town & Country Crossing Drive
Town & Country, MO 63017
636.527.1160 phone
636.527.1177 fax 

 
Community Support Days
 
Our Community Support 5% Days are a very meaningful way we give back to our community. On four 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. If your non-profit organization is interested in becoming one of our quarterly Community Support Day recipients, please complete the application (make sure to check the 5% Day option) and return it to our Customer Service desk in person, by fax or by mail to:

Whole Foods Market
Attention: Marcia Whelan/Marketing
marcia.whelan@wholefoods.com
1160 Town & Country Crossing Drive
Town & Country, MO 63017
636.527.1160 phone
636.527.1177 fax 

  
 Scrip Program

Due to the volume of general donation requests we receive, unfortunately we cannot fulfill every request. However, we are pleased to also offer the Scrip Program as a fundraising opportunity for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and public schools. Participating organizations may purchase gift cards from Whole Foods Market at a 5% discount, sell them for face value, and keep the 5% difference to support their needs. Each month, more and more local organizations are choosing to augment their fundraising activities with the Whole Foods Market scrip certificate program. To inquire about our scrip program please call  Marcia Whelan at 636-527-1160.

Wednesday, February 3 - Wednesday, March 3 is Whole Trade Guarantee Awareness Month

At Whole Foods Market, we believe we have a responsibility toward all entities involved in our business: our customers, shareholders, Team Members, suppliers, the environment and, not least of all, our community. To us, community transcends the boundaries of our cities to the places from which we source our products, many of which are in developing countries. As a result, we have created the Whole Trade Guarantee, an extension of our values that lets you rest assured that you are buying the best for you, for your community, and your world. Whole Trade Guarantee products must:

• Meet our high Quality Standards
• Provide more money to producers
• Ensure better wages and working conditions for workers
• Utilize sound environmental practices

Plus, with each purchase of those products, 1% of the retail price goes to the Whole Planet Foundation, which is creating real results in the fight against poverty around the world.

Community Events

In addition to donations, Whole Foods Market sponsors events in conjunction with local organizations committed to community service. Please view our calendar for event dates.  

Whole Foods Market is a long time sponsor and supporter of the Missouri Organic Association.  The MOA's 2010 annual conference: Forging Relationships, Preserving Local Organic & Sustainable Farms will take place at the Bradford Farm Conference Center at the University of Missouri in Columbia on February 5 & 6. This conference brings together organic farmers, processors, consumers, health officials, chefs...everyone that enjoys networking with like-minded people and learning from some of the foremost experts in the organic fields of soil fertility, pest management, ruminant and poultry health care, human health concerns, economic viability,and more.   

Look for the Whole Foods Market booth at the Healthy Planet Natural Living Expo on Sunday, February 28 from 10 to 4 pm taking place at the Webster Groves Recreation Complex.  The Expo provides more than 70 exhibits offering information, products and services to help you and your family create a healthier and more eco-friendly life. Enjoy live music, many food and product samples, as well as free health screenings and chair massages. Adults: $8.00, children under 16 FREE! For more information please call 314-962-7748.

Meeting Space

Whole Foods Market Town & Country is pleased to provide meeting space (up to 18 attendees) free of charge to nonprofit organizations.  To inquire about reserving the space, please call  Marcia Whelan at 636-527-1160.

 

Reduce Reuse Recycle

•  Did you know more than 15 billion wine corks end up in landfills each year?  Help save the cork forests by recycling your corks in our wine department.  Rewind Your Wine is a St. Louis regional wine cork recycling program aimed at collecting natural and synthetic wine corks from area residents so that they can be made into building materials.
• Recycle clean #5 plastics in the Gimme 5 bin near our Customer Service Desk.  Products packaged in #5 plastic are sold widely, but #5 is not recycled in most communities. By recycling your #5 plastic through the Gimme 5 program, you are saving plastic from being sent to landfills and keeping the plastic local by recycling it here in the USA.   
• Donate unwanted cellphones to Secure the Call in our cafe.  Secure the Call fixes phones and distributes them to people who need free 911 emergency access phones.