We all have to buy our daily sustenance somewhere (unless you are self-sustaining, of course), so why not have your purchase go toward a good cause? Next Wednesday on April 7, make a journey to Whole Foods in Madison. Five percent of the after-tax sales of purchases that day will benefit the Unity Charter School in Morristown.
I didn’t know about the Unity Charter School until I received a tip about it (yes, I do read those!). It’s a really wonderful concept! The tuition-free, public school has integrated sustainability and an environmental focus into the curriculum. They have a zero-waste, vegetarian lunch program (with meals prepared by a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef, no less!), and they also have a school garden and composting system. Kids grades K-8 go there, and the current enrollment is around 100 students.
The school would like to grow, but it can’t because of current space limitations. With proper funding, they plan to move to a new space and enroll more students. See! Even more reason to go shop at Whole Foods next week. An article I read in The Daily Record said the fundraiser could bring in up to $10,000, which is a nice little chunk.
Now, Whole Foods is great and has done tons of good things, but I do just want to say that even at Whole Foods I am wary of my shopping. At one point, I saw the store as having a permanent golden halo and that I could do no wrong by shopping there. But, just like any grocery store, concessions must be made in order to get consumers what they want. For that reason, you’ll find conventional produce, fruits from far away and meat that isn’t grass-fed there (all labeled as such). I’m aware that this is because it’s hard to find local avocados, or enough grass-fed meat to supply the store, and I’ll own up to buying some of it sometimes, depending on the options. But mostly I just read the labels and make sure that I treat everything with a certain (but healthy) level of skepticism, just like I do anywhere else. Whole Foods has helped bring local and organic foods to those people who may not have been interested before, and I think we can all agree that’s a great thing.
Bottom line – head there this Wednesday and feel good for your purchases two-fold. And if Unity Charter School gets enough money to expand, can I enroll?!
[And no, this isn't an April Fool's Joke. There's just too much good stuff to write about to waste time pulling your leg!]
