In celebration of Fat Tuesday, two-year-old Isabelle Chu carefully glued brightly colored feathers to her Mardi Gras mask at the Bellevue Whole Foods Market. Young Isabelle was having fun, unaware that she was also doing her part to give back to a great cause. Her mother stood nearby with a cart full of groceries. Five percent of her total purchase for the day benefited Hopelink.
Several times a year, Whole Foods area stores hold community giving days where five percent of that day’s net sales are donated to a local nonprofit or educational organization. This time, Whole Foods linked up with Hopelink, a non-profit organization serving homeless and low-income families and individuals on the Eastside.
Shoppers were invited to purchase a Whole Trade cafe au lait and receive a free locally made Mighty O Doughnut in the morning, participate in Mardi Gras mask making fun for the kids during the afternoon, and sip on Fair Trade wines at the Wine Event in Salud in the evening.
Collection boxes were placed near the entrance of the store for food donations and Hopelink staff and volunteers manned informational booths, handing out brochures and answering questions about the organization.
“Whole Foods Market works hard to be an advocate for giving back locally and globally,” said Theresa Crim, the in-store marketing coordinator for Whole Foods. “It’s vital for us to link with the community we serve and work together to see positive change.”
Past events like the Change-for-Change program at the Bellevue Whole Foods Market coffee bar has brought in $11,000 for charity donations, said Crim, adding, Bellevue is a very giving community.
This is the first year Hopelink has been a beneficiary of Whole Foods 5 percent day. Despite the generous giving of the local community, Hopelink like many other non-profits are feeling the negative effects of the declining economy.
“There has been a horrendous demand for Hopelink emergency services such as food and shelter. All non-profits are feeling overwhelmed by the needs of the community, it’s a scary time,” explained Kathleen McGill, a Business Development Specialist for Hopelink. “We are fortunate to have such a generous community who believes strongly in taking care of one-another especially in tough times.”
McGill noted that several large Eastside businesses forfeited their annual holiday parties and instead donated the money to Hopelink.
“Philanthropy is huge in this area and we are very grateful for all the donations made no matter how small or large they are,” McGill added. “We are thankful for great companies like Whole Foods who are willing to partner with Hopelink to make a difference.”
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.
For more information on Hopelink or to volunteer, visit www.hope-link.org.
