The two Whole Foods Markets in West Hartford, as well as the Glastonbury store, will donate 5 percent of Tuesday’s sales to the Keney Park Sustainability Project.

Whole Foods 5% Day. Twitter image

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On Tuesday, March 7, Whole Foods Market is hosting a “5% Community Giving Day” at their three Greater Hartford stores to benefit the Keney Park Sustainability Project (KPSP).

The West Hartford Center, Bishops Corner, and Glastonbury stores will donate 5 percent of that day’s sales to fund the local urban agriculture non-profit’s planned mobile and on-site cooking classrooms to serve the North Hartford community.

“KPSP is extremely grateful for the opportunity to partner with Whole Foods Market and their local staff members,” said Herb Virgo, Director at KPSP. “This partnership will be instrumental in increasing nutrition education and access to healthy foods for the communities served by KPSP. A BIG thank you to Whole Foods Market for helping us create the next generation of healthy, productive, and environmentally conscious citizens Hartford and beyond.”

Part of the North Hartford Promise Zone urban revitalization project, KPSP is an urban agriculture nonprofit that, amongst other projects, provides fresh produce to areas of Hartford without access to healthy foods. In 2016, the KPSP also received a grant from the Whole Cities Foundation, a non-profit established by Whole Foods Market, to purchase and install heating units in their year-round greenhouses.

Volunteers and staff from KPSP will be at the stores throughout the day on Tuesday, March 7, to thank customers for shopping and discuss their programs.

Whole Foods Markets in West Hartford are located at 50 Raymond Rd. in Blue Back Square and 340 North Main St. in Bishops Corner. The Glastonbury store is located at 55 Welles St.

About Keney Park Sustainability Project:

The Keney Park Sustainability Project (KPSP) a locally-based organization that engages the community around Keney Park in a variety of areas including: health and nutrition education, landscaping, forest management, waste stream reduction, building and design, and urban agriculture.  Keney Park Sustainability Project currently occupies a City-owned building in Keney Park and has a number of programs that have demonstrated strong, multi-faceted connections to the affected community.  KPSP has not only managed the building and its site, but leveraged partnerships across the community to build greenhouses, a community garden, a composting site, a woodworking area, and other features.  Significant levels of involvement in the direction of this project have been gleaned by residents (including the youth served by the community garden site, as well as Youth Service Corps volunteers already working on-site), as well as volunteers and others.  KPSP aims to educate families about the impact of the environment on mental, physical and spiritual health by practicing sustainable techniques that promote a healthy symbiotic relationship between us and our environment.