Neatly stacked on the floor of the Whole Foods Market in Glen Mills, the 580 cases of food – ranging from organic applesauce to cannellini beans – would not be there for long. On Wednesday, Feb. 4, a crew from the Ministry of Caring’s Emmanuel Dining Room in Wilmington whisked them away.
The community-based nonprofit began in 1976 when Brother Ronald Giannone observed the absence of services for Wilmington’s poor and homeless and decided to create them. Since then, the Ministry of Caring has worked to promote the idea that “the poor should never be treated poorly.”
That sentiment is shared by Whole Foods. On Friday, Feb. 6, a team of about a dozen store employees traveled to the Emmanuel Dining Room to prepare and serve lunch, using some of the $10,100 worth of food the store had recently added to its coffers.
Dean Martinelli, the store’s marketing team leader, explained that the outreach was part of a corporate commitment to assist the less fortunate. He said the store runs a variety of programs throughout the year. In this instance, he said the money came directly from the store’s generous customers.
“All we do is promote the campaign,” Martinelli said.
From Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, the store displayed “Feed 4 More” bags, which were filled with food staples for a family of four. Store employees were encouraged to provide information but no pressure when customers inquired. For $10, shoppers could purchase that equivalent of food – at the store’s cost – or they could donate any lesser amount, Martinelli said.
He said the holiday promotion, which was done for the third year in a row, is only one of the company’s outreach initiatives. The Glen Mills store has a list of area nonprofits, such as the Safe Harbor shelter in West Chester, that receive surplus produce and bakery items daily. In addition, four times a year, the store selects a nonprofit to receive 5 percent of a day’s sales.
On a more regular basis, teams from the store do volunteer stints for organizations like the Land Conservancy of Southern Chester County and the Chester County Food Bank, and the store also works with smaller groups to create donations that meet their needs, Martinelli said.
“We’re always looking for partners and opportunities to help the less fortunate,” he said.
Martinelli explained that the Ministry of Caring, which was already on the store’s daily distribution list, came up during a meeting with Delmarva Broadcasting representatives. Martinelli said he typically does research on potential “Feed 4 More” recipients and presents them to a team of store managers, who then vote.
He said that because the Ministry of Caring operates a food bank as well as a soup kitchen, store employees had an opportunity to witness the benefits of the donation firsthand.
“It was a humbling experience,” Martinelli said, explaining that many families with children came into the Emmanuel Dining Room for lunch on Friday, Feb. 6. “We served 220 in an hour.”
Martinelli, a Chadds Ford resident, said he appreciates Whole Foods’ commitment to civic involvement. “I live in this community so it’s particularly important to me,” he said.
Carol Knotts, a Whole Foods customer who also lives in Chadds Ford, volunteers at the Ministry of Caring. She said she enjoys patronizing a business that gives back to the community.
“I do love this store,” she said. “What they are doing to help so many organizations is wonderful, and they’ve been doing it since they opened in 2012.”
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