Partner Spotlight: Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market pitches in.
The Chicago Parks Foundation has been proud to call Whole Foods Market a ‘Pitch In’ supporter since 2021. Whole Foods Market’s generous support includes a donation of 5,000 paper grocery bags to outfit our Pitch In for the Parks and Green Teams park clean-up programs. This year alone, we have been able to equip 2,000+ volunteers in park clean-ups citywide - and our season is still going strong through the fall!
This spring and summer, the CPF team also enjoyed participating at two Whole Foods Market events - the opening of their new flagship location at 3 W. Chicago Ave., and their ‘Fuel Your Outdoor Adventure’ activation promoting healthy ways to get active outside.
Before our ‘Pitch In’ effort began, Whole Foods Market has collaborated on park projects with the CPF for several years now, including support provided through their Community Giving program.
For more than 40 years, Whole Foods Market has been the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer. As the first certified organic national grocer, Whole Foods Market has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Read how Whole Foods Market brings their mission to our park communities.
How does your team support local communities in Chicago?
‘Fuel Your Outdoor Adventure’ WFM event, July 2022
One of Whole Foods Market’s Core Values is “We Care About our Community and the Environment” in which we serve and support a local experience, and practice and advance environmental stewardship. We support our local communities through our Community Giving Program that empowers our Team Members to select local organizations they would like Whole Foods Market to donate to. We also partner with like-minded local nonprofits that address compelling issues such as food inequity, innovation, and sustainability.
How does your team's mission relate to the work you’re doing with the Chicago Parks Foundation?
At Whole Foods Market, our purpose is to nourish people and the planet. We are deeply committed to serving and supporting our customers, communities, and suppliers. The work at Chicago Parks Foundation ensures that our local parks are clean, safe, and accessible in every neighborhood, allowing for the preservation of green space and appreciation of nature.
What makes parks important to Chicago?
In a sprawling urban center like Chicago, residents need a place to gather, decompress and just enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. The sheer number of Chicago parks opens this opportunity to all citizens, and usually within a few blocks of their homes.
“At Whole Foods Market, our purpose is to nourish people and the planet. We are deeply committed to serving and supporting our customers, communities, and suppliers. ”
^ Our volunteers particularly love the Whole Foods Market paper grocery bags for trash pick-up because of the handles!
YOU CAN PITCH IN, TOO!
Thanks to the generous support of our Green Teams, the Chicago Parks Foundation equips thousands of volunteers with free supplies for our Pitch In for the Parks citywide program.
Schedule your own Green Teams event this season, or join the Pitch In for the Parks effort today.
You can also join us with a gift or become a Chicago Parks Foundation Member! Your support helps make vital park programming like Pitch In for the Parks possible. When you invest in the parks, you invest in the communities who love and depend on them.