'Eat Your Greens to Give Some Green' and Help Put Salad Bars in Schools

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Whole Foods Market is giving shoppers in its Southern Pacific Region added incentive to eat their greens with its "Eat Your Greens to Give Some Green" donation day.  For every pound of food purchased from its salad and hot bars on Sunday, Sept. 9, Whole Foods Market will donate $1 to the Whole Kids Foundation to fund salad bar grants in schools throughout Southern California, Arizona, Las Vegas and Hawaii.

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"We know our local shoppers are as passionate as we are about bringing better nutrition choices to kids at school," said Patrick Bradley, regional president for Whole Foods Market Southern Pacific region "The 'Eat Your Greens to Give Some Green' donation day is our chance to put our money where our mouth is – in the greens!" 

Whole Foods Market is a founding member of the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative, which aims to provide 6,000 school salad bars across the nation by 2013. The project supports First Lady Michelle Obama's larger "Let's Move!" effort to end childhood obesity by bringing vegetable and fruit options to kids at school. 

Currently, 121 schools throughout the Southern Pacific Region are already benefiting from salad bars in schools, with more than 220 additional schools eagerly awaiting their applications to be funded. And according to parents, teachers and administrators, it's making a difference for those students who already have access to salad bars.

For a complete list of Whole Foods Market stores in the Southern Pacific region where donations can be made, please visit: www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/list.

'Eat Your Greens to Give Some Green' day also coincides with Whole Kids Foundation's annual fundraiser to support its salad bars, school gardens and teacher education programs during the first two weeks of September. Shoppers can make additional donations at checkout to benefit the Foundation on online at www.wholekidsfoundation.org. To learn more about the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative and how local schools can apply for a salad bar grant visit saladbars2school.org.

About Whole Kids Foundation
The Whole Kids Foundation, a Whole Foods Market foundation, is based in Austin, Texas, and operates as an independent, nonprofit organization. Its mission is to improve children's nutrition and wellness with the goal of ending the childhood obesity epidemic. Through partnerships with innovative organizations, schools and educators the foundation works to provide children access to healthier choices and aims to help children reach their full potential through the strength of a healthy body. To learn more about the Whole Kids Foundation and its salad bar and garden grant programs, visit www.wholekidsfoundation.org.

About Whole Foods Market^®
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America's first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named "America's Healthiest Grocery Store" by Health magazine. The company's motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's more than 69,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine for 15 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2011, the company had sales of more than $10 billion and currently has more than 325 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

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SOURCE Whole Foods Market