WHOLE FOODS MARKET – WELLINGTON KICKS-OFF 2011 WITH A DAY OF CHARITABLE GIVING
5% Day, Stuff the Truck Food Drive, and a Special Kick-off Reception of Palm Beach Harvest’s New
Feed the Need Program, all taking place Wednesday, January 12, 2011
On Wednesday, January 12, 2011, the Whole Foods Market in Wellington will donate 5% of the day’s net sales to Palm Beach Harvest Inc., a local community based organization of volunteers who collect and transport donated food to non-profit distribution centers throughout Palm Bach County. The 5% Day will also serve as a kick-off to the charity’s new Feed the Need program.
In addition to offering customers the chance to donate to a good cause while picking up the things they need, the Wellington store is hosting a Stuff the Truck food drive. The all-day event will allow community members to double up on their “do gooding” by helping to fill Palm Beach Harvest’s newly donated truck with non-perishable groceries. While a portion of the Whole Foods Market 5% Day donation will go to getting the new truck up and running, the food items that fill the truck will help toward the weekly 100 plus free deliveries to local soup kitchens and food pantries. Palm Beach Harvest will also have an information table inside of the store for customers to learn about volunteer opportunities.
Then, at 7:00 pm in the market’s café, customers, community members and local chefs will come together to celebrate the Florida’s premier, Feed the Need Campaign. For a $10 donation, attendees will enjoy appetizers prepared by local Chef Chris Paul, from Wild Orchids Fusion, a wine tasting, silent auction and live music by Joey Beazley. Interested guests must RSVP by calling the Whole Foods Market Customer Service Desk at 561-904-4000.
The Feed the Need Campaign was developed by Chef Mickey Bakst in Charleston, South Carolina in 2009. He organized 52 local chefs to each chose a week of their own to feed 400 needy people, resulting in 20,000 meals in 52 weeks. Deborah Morgan, Executive Director of Palm Beach Harvest caught wind of this inspiring story and immediately contacted Chef Bakst. It is Bakst’s dream to carry this vision throughout the United States and Palm Beach Harvest is the first organization to do so. Each Thursday, one local participant will donate food and labor for 400 free meals, with the help of Whole Foods Market who is donating a fully stocked pantry for the chefs to use for the entire year. “So far there are 28 local chefs, restaurants, caterers and hoteliers on board to serve 300-400 meals at the Salvation Army,” explains Morgan. “And we hope to expand to 52 partnerships by the end of 2011.” The meals will be served at The Salvation Army located at 2120 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard. West Palm Beach, Florida. The target date to begin the hot meals program will be January 13, 2011.
Media interested in attending /covering please contact:
Lauren Belinsky
Whole Foods Market
Lauren.Belinsky@Wholefoods.com
(561)-904-4000