Photo: WE Community Gardens
Shopping at Whole Foods Market on Wednesday Friday will help
WE Community Gardens in West End bloom.
Update Jan. 12: Whole Food Market moved the event date to Friday because of weather-related delivery problems.
If you were planning a trip to Whole Foods Market in Mountain Brook, shopping on Wednesday Friday will help feed a neighborhood.
WE (West End) Community Gardens will receive 5 percent of all sales on that day as part of the store’s 5% Day campaign. Part of Community Church Without Walls, this nonprofit organization helps combat food insecurity (or lack of access to affordable, fresh food) in West End and surrounding neighborhoods with organic garden plots, gardening and cooking classes and after-school programs.
Garden program director Ama Shambulia says they plan to use most of the funds to purchase a vacant lot across the alleyway from the current location. The land is “just perfect for the expansion of our vision,” she says. Whole Foods estimates the 1-day promotion will raise $3,000 to $3,500.
Past 5% Days at the Mountain Brook store have benefited the Alabama Waldorf School, the Exceptional Foundation, Black Warrior Riverkeeper and other nonprofit organizations.
Every Whole Foods Markets location holds a 5% Day each quarter. Any 501(c)3 nonprofit organization can apply online; store employees vote on the final recipient.
Whole Food Market hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday Friday. The store is located in Cahaba Village Plaza along U.S. 280 in Mountain Brook [map]. For more information, call (205) 912-8400 or visit the event webpage.
Also:
- Shoppers who use reusable bags at this location receive a 10-cent refund per bag, which they can donate to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society as part of the Donate Your Dime program.
- Food Revival has Ama Shambulia’s recipe for Mama Ama’s Marinated Greens Salad.
Video: Ama Shambulia discusses her work with WE Community Gardens in West End.
