Natural Grocers Extends Support to HBCUs
In honor of Black History Month, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage is renewing its partnership with Jack and Jill of America Inc. (JJOA) in support of JJOA's College Graduation Assistance Program (GAP) Fund.
Following Natural Grocers 2020's inaugural campaign, which raised more than $130,000, Natural Grocers will donate 1% of all purchases on Feb. 28 to the College GAP Fund, which provides scholarship endowments to students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs.) Every year, a number of seniors attending HBCUs are ineligible to graduate due only to small unpaid bills. JJOA's fundraising initiative and Natural Grocers corporate sponsorship assist HBCU students who are in good academic standing and on track to graduate but are faced with the ever-growing problem of tuition debt.
"As one of our Founding Principles, commitment to the health of our communities is a true reflection of why our parents founded Natural Grocers in 1955, and it remains a guiding beacon for the company," noted Kemper Isely, Natural Grocers' chairman and co-president. "We are proud to join Jack and Jill of America in our collective purpose-driven mission to invest back into the growth and future of our communities."
In addition to the national fundraising campaign on Feb. 28, the partnership has extended to a year-round giveback program with 12 JJOA regional chapters based in Denver, Dallas, and Little Rock, Arkansas. Every JJOA member in these markets has received a Natural Grocers + Jack and Jill of America Partnership card, which, when presented at a Natural Grocers checkout, automatically triggers an uncapped 5% of sales giveback to JJOA. Members have also received additional cards to share with friends and family. The 5% sales-based donation is broken down as such:
- 2.5% of the purchases go to the JJOA College GAP Fund
- 2.5% of these purchases go directly back to participating local JJOA chapters
"This partnership aligns with our mission of nurturing future African-American leaders," said Kornisha Brown, national president of Washington D.C.-based JJOA. "In Natural Grocers, we have a partner who did more than just recognize the need to uplift our future leaders by helping HBCU students graduate on time. They acted."
Natural Grocers initially joined forces with JJOA in January 2020.
JJOA is a membership organization of mothers with children age 2-19, dedicated to nurturing future African-American leaders by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty. Founded in 1938, JJOA is engaged with 252 chapters, representing more than 40,000 family members nationwide.
Natural Grocers also has a longstanding history of contributing to its communities in other ways, like improving the health education of its customers. For example, in October 2020, the organic and natural grocer retailer expanded its free nutrition education program, which is customarily in-person, to include a virtual guest presenter series and online personalized coaching sessions with the company's nutritional health coaches.
The specialty retailer is also helping customers stick to their health-and-wellness resolutions this year with its virtual Keto Reset program, a four-week class series designed to help participants fully experience keto diet benefits.
Additionally, Natural Grocers has also lent a helping hand to reduce food insecurity during the pandemic. For instance, it received record-breaking food bank donations from shoppers in August, raising more than $260,000 for local food banks. The donation will provide neighbors not just with food, but also with Natural Grocers gift cards.
Natural Grocers has more than 3,500 employees and operates 160 stores in 20 states. The Lakewood, Colorado-based company is No. 94 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
