Unlike most funders, Whole Cities Foundation is not just a monetary sponsor to help with equipment, supplies and infrastructure. You are a true partner. A partner is an organization we can dialogue with. An organization that has concern and care for the progress of our food justice work, for the growth and development of our urban farms. A partner can help us come up with new approaches and even help us to seek other grants for our farmer constituents. We really appreciate the commitment to Newark and the partnership that has allowed so many grassroots organizations to start to build their budgets.

“We were able to split into two groups and knock it out!! The shipping container, that was sanded and primed by the Southwest Leadership Network, was our main project and we created a “canvas” for mural that is being created by our very own Drue Mohler at Park Lane! This has been a project that Whole Foods Team Members have started and will continue on to complete in the coming months! Be on the lookout for “Pop-Up” painting events to help get the mural up! The second group were able to plant a row of veggies while we painted and we all came together to build a “beet-box” in one of the long veggie plots! And of course, after all of our hard work we headed just down the road to “The Market” at [fellow CFG partner] Bonton Farms, their farm to table restaurant that is at the original location where we ate and fed the goats!”

“I had the opportunity to take a group of TM volunteers to their Giving Garden, where they grow organic food to support our local community. We worked on expanding mulched paths and planting a variety of berries (gooseberry, blueberry, boysenberry). We also had a tour of the farm, which included a lesson on log inoculation for mushroom growing! It was a truly rewarding experience to get out of the store, support the community, and have a team-building moment we haven’t experienced in a few years.”

“I thought I would work on the farm once or twice a month. But once I started, I knew I had to work more and ended up working once or twice a week. I am happy with the outcome and satisfaction I get at seeing how much work I did. This experience has been hard work but is very rewarding.”

“We want to get involved in the type of positive, beneficial change that food access ignites. A whole network of relationships emerges around food access: individuals are more likely to make healthy food choices for themselves and their families; farmers have more options to market their local products; a larger percent of money spent on food remains in the local economy; and the transporting the food from the farm to individuals is less taxing on the environment. These relationships become the foundation for healthier bodies, healthier minds, healthier communities and a healthier planet.”

“Volunteering adds such a level of commitment and engagement that it can make working at Whole Foods Market more rewarding for our Team Members. My success at my prior store with our Community First Grant partner brought so many of us together. We have deeper relationships and commitments to one another, our community and Whole Foods Market.”

“Serving our community healthy food is at the heart of what we do on a day-to-day basis. Access to healthy foods means access to a healthy mind, body and spirit. Not all people have the means or education to provide this for themselves. Supporting a local organization with the goal of expanding healthy food access seems like a great way to bring what we do every day in the store to our community. It will provide Team Members who participate with a fulfilling, hands-on, local experience that aligns with our Core Values.”

“Expanding fresh, healthy food access empowers all communities to heal, grow and prosper. In my journey to find community partners whose mission align with Whole Cities Foundation’s, I was blessed to come across amazing ‘food heroes’—mainly women—determined to fight food injustice and change the despairing outlook of their community for the better. In their vision to create a healthier and stronger community, they nurture and guide with the knowledge and experience to grow and harvest fresh healthy organic food in nearby community gardens and urban farms."

"The opportunity to grant $8,000 to a local organization that's making a difference and also satisfy my own desire to volunteer encouraged me to go for it. And I fully committed."

"Super inspirational on a number of levels, from personal to professional. This was both a morale booster and course corrector for sure."

“If you can help kids understand where food comes from, and how it affects their person, then you spark their curiosity.”

“At Michele's Granola, we believe that everyone deserves good food and that business can be a powerful source for positive social change.”