NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (Oct 10, 2012) – Demonstrating Whole Foods Market’s commitment to the community, five percent of the day’s net sales on Oct. 17 will be donated to the Environmental Nature Center (ENC) in Newport Beach to benefit educational programs for adults and children that focus on nature and ecology.
The ENC provides hands-on education with nature and demonstrates indigenous California vegetation and habitats. The 3.5-acre facility provides 16,500 students a year the opportunity to study local ecology in 15 on-site, native Southern California plant communities.
“Whole Foods Market enthusiastically supports the valuable work the ENC is doing to promote the importance of nature and science in the Orange County community,” said Patrick Bradley, regional president, Whole Foods Market, Southern Pacific Region. “We know this donation will support the organization’s evolving programs and exhibits, especially those that highlight the benefits of environmentally-conscious design ~ a philosophy that Whole Foods Market also shares. We invite everyone to come shop on October 17, knowing their purchases will make a difference.”
“Over the last 40 years, the ENC has served as our community's foremost authority on ecological responsibility, sustainable practices and environmental education,” Bo Glover, the ENC’s Executive Director said. “The Whole Foods Community Giving Day helps us further our mission of providing quality education through hands-on experience with Nature. We are proud to have a partner like Whole Foods that provides our community with a place to make sustainable choices.”
Since opening the Tustin store in The District in 2007, Whole Foods Market has given more than $50,000 to local Orange County-based community groups.
Other Orange County-based recipients of Whole Foods Market’s 5% Community Days include: Laguna Niguel YMCA, Talk About Curing Autism (T.A.C.A.), The Irvine Animal Care Center, The American Red Cross Orange County Chapter, Savannah’s Organic Ranch Second Harvest Food Bank, The Boys and Girls Club of Tustin, KCRW, Monteverde Conservation League, Families Forward and the Tustin Public Schools Foundation.
As part of its commitment to supporting local causes in the community in which it works, Whole Foods Market stores, nationwide, hold Community Support Days several times a year and donate five percent of that day’s net sales to a local nonprofit or educational organization.
Whole Foods Market Newport Beach encourages local residents to come in and shop at the store on Oct. 17 to help support the Environmental Nature Center.
For additional information on Whole Foods Market’s Newport Beach store, please visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com or follow Whole Foods Market Newport Beach on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketNewportBeach and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WholeFoodsNB.
About the Environmental Nature Center
The ENC’s 3 1/2 acre outdoor classroom displays 15 native plant communities that range from a desert, to a freshwater marsh, to a redwood forest. For more information call 949-645-8489, or visit www.ENCenter.org. The ENC is located at 1601 16th Street in Newport Beach.
