Vancouver Whole Foods Market® Stores Raise $89,000 for Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 2, 2015 /CNW/ -- Vancouver-area Whole Foods Market stores raised $89,188.28 in monetary contributions as part of the Feed 4 More donation program. Feed 4 More is a Whole Foods Market initiative that invites shoppers to donate money to help stock the pantries of families in need. All donations collected in Vancouver were donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society.

This year, a portion of these funds will directly support the GVBFS' partnerships with local growers and farmers to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to their clients.

Previously, Whole Foods Market and the GVFBS have teamed up for similar programs, including the 2013 Bag Hunger campaign, which raised more than $40,000 for the GVFBS. Additionally, the Whole Food's Market's Community Giving Days, which took place last December, directly benefited the GVFBS' Community Angel Food Runners program.

"Whole Foods Market has a long-standing commitment to supporting hunger relief initiatives in communities we serve," said Grant Daisley, Whole Foods Market Associate Marketing Coordinator in the Pacific Northwest. "We're thrilled to be able to provide our customers a simple and easy way to give back in a big way, and we're proud to say we more than doubled our donations at the registers!"

Aart Schuurman Hess, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society, said, "We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Whole Foods Market staff and customers, seeing and learning from their enthusiasm and desire to help their local community. We share their passion for simple, whole foods and are excited to turn this donation into thousands of pounds of local fresh produce to share with those in need."

For more information on Whole Foods Market, please visit: wholefoodsmarket.com. To learn more about the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society and their programs, visit: https://www.foodbank.bc.ca.

About Whole Foods Market^®

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America's first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named "America's Healthiest Grocery Store" by Health magazine. The company's motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's more than 78,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine for 15 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2013, the company had sales of $12.9 billion and currently has more than 360 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

About Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society (GVFBS) is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower people to nourish themselves by providing access to healthy food, education and training. The GVFBS provides assistance to over 28,000 people weekly through 15 food depots and over 100 community agencies located in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and North Vancouver. The GVFBS is committed to its vision of accessible, healthy and sustainable food for all and through community collaboration, is pro-actively working to help end hunger. For more information, visit: https://www.foodbank.bc.ca

SOURCE Whole Foods Market

Chelsey Allodi, Curator PR on behalf of Whole Foods Market, [email protected], [phone], http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com