HONOLULU, Hawaii (June 21, 2010) – Putting together a recipe for success, Whole Foods Market’s Kahala and Kahului stores announced today that their next Community Support Day, scheduled for Saturday, July 24, 2010, will help fund the local production of the movie INGREDIENTS Hawai‘i, highlighting locally-based agriculture.
“We’re thrilled to cultivate this partnership with Whole Foods Market, which has an exceptional reputation for providing shoppers with fresh, local and all-natural ingredients,” said Robert Bates, director of INGREDIENTS Hawai‘i. “By getting to know our farmers, ranchers and food producers in Hawai‘i, our film will show just how easy it is to eat local, and the health, flavor and sustainability benefits that come from a local food diet.”
Whole Foods Market Community Support Days are held one day each quarter, and give five percent of the store’s proceeds to a partner nonprofit organization. Since opening its first store in Hawai‘i in 2008, Whole Foods Market Community Support Days have given more than $26,000 to community groups including the Kokua Hawai‘i Foundation, Kapi‘olani Community College Culinary School, Ke Kula ‘O Samuel M. Kamakau charter school, Malama Maunalua, Kaimuki High School Performing Arts and The Maui Farm just to name a few.
“At Whole Foods Market, we’re foodies at heart, so it’s really exciting to give back to a group that celebrates something that we delight in every day – great, all-natural ingredients,” said Natalie Aczon, Whole Foods Market Kahala marketing supervisor. “It is such a great privilege to be able give back to and partner with local groups that provide so much to education and support for our community.”
INGREDIENTS Hawai‘i will be a half-hour film highlighting local food in Hawai‘i that embraces a return to a Hawai‘i-produced diet to strengthen the islands’ economies, improve health and preserve cultural traditions. Later in the year, the film will be broadcasted simultaneously on all Hawai‘i’s TV stations to draw attention to the islands’ most pressing concerns, and some of the best available solutions. Additional island-based stories will be available on the INGREDIENTS Hawai‘i website at www.ingredientsfilm.com.
To encourage island residents to eat local, from July 1 through July 15, Whole Foods Market and INGREDIENTS Hawai‘i will host a “Farm to Plate” contest, asking local foodies to submit photos of their favorite meal incorporating local ingredients. Winners will be announced on air, July 19 during the Isle Fresh program on KAOI, 1110 AM. The winning entries receive a Whole Foods Market gift bag including a DVD of Ingredients and will be featured in a cook-off with local celebrity chefs on July 24 at Whole Foods Market Kahului. Entries can be submitted to Whole Foods Market Hawai‘i’s flickr site: www.flickr.com/groups/1410383@N25/.
During the month of July both Whole Foods Market stores will host special screenings of INGREDIENTS Hawai‘i along with celebrity chef demonstrations and recipe contests. Additional details can be found online at www.wholefoods.com/honolulu and www.wholefoods.com/maui.
