Southern Glazer’s Rewards VolunCheer of the Year, Charities
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has announced the recipient of its 2022 VolunCheer of the Year Award, Lisa Flowers-Espinosa, customer service manager from Southern Glazer’s in Phoenix. VolunCheers is Southern Glazer’s grassroots employee volunteering and giving program that empowers team members to engage with charities in their local communities. These efforts are managed through the company’s enterprise-wide digital portal, VolunCheers Online, where employees can connect with each other, organize and promote volunteering and giving activities.
For the annual VolunCheer of the Year program, employees voted from among a group of 2022 VolunCheer of the Month winners to determine who would be selected to receive a prize of $5,000 donated to the winner’s charity of choice.
Flowers-Espinosa received special VolunCheer recognition for her efforts in hosting a donation drive for Youth On Their Own (YOTO), a charity that supports local youth with food, school supplies, toiletries, and academic support. In 2022, Flowers-Espinosa successfully spearheaded a donation drive benefiting YOTO by working with a local team of employee volunteers to collect donations to support the youth in her community facing homelessness. The charity was positively overwhelmed by the overflow of donations and commented, “This was the most donations we have ever received at one time!”
In recognition of her award, Flowers-Espinosa selected the Navajo Relief Fund and Boys & Girls Club of the (east) Valley to be the recipients of Southern Glazer’s $5,000 donation, with each charity receiving $2,500 on her behalf.
“The two charities that I have selected play a huge role in everything that I stand for, particularly a better future for youth and their families,” said Flowers-Espinosa. “The Boys and Girls Club serves over 13,000 young people in grades K-12 right in the center of my hometown. As a latch-key kid myself, I understand fully the need for after-school and summer programs for our children, especially youth at risk. Also, a large part of the Arizona population is Native Americans. The Navajo Relief Fund serves the largest Indian reservation in the United States, spanning over 16 million acres in Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern Utah. In the face of extreme poverty and adversity, it just felt right to help the families of Diné Nation (our Native Navajos).”
Southern Glazer’s also rounded out 2022 with its annual Holiday Giving Campaign, during which the company pledged to donate $25 for every volunteer hour logged by employees on VolunCheers Online throughout November and December. The beneficiaries of the campaign are the United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG), Arbor Day Foundation, Dress for Success, and Feeding America, with 10 percent of total donations benefiting Southern Glazer’s Canada’s charity of choice, Sickkids.
Southern Glazer’s employees more than doubled last year’s results by logging 2,881 volunteer hours in support of diverse causes on VolunCheers Online, resulting in a total donation of $72,025 to support the five selected charities above. As a result of employees’ commitment to giving back, the USBG, Arbor Day Foundation, Dress for Success, and Feeding America will each receive a $16,205.62 donation and Sickkids will receive a $7,205.50 donation, to help further their meaningful work on behalf of Southern Glazer’s.
“Southern Glazer’s encourages volunteerism that fosters opportunity and belonging in the communities where we live and operate,” said Wayne E. Chaplin, chief executive officer. “Our employees are constantly finding ways to expand our volunteer footprint and increase their collective positive impact. The VolunCheers program here at Southern Glazer’s not only makes it easy for employees to find and initiate volunteer and fundraising activities, it allows us to recognize our employees’ commitment to change the world one action at a time.”
Month after month, Southern Glazer’s employees expressed their gratitude through meaningful charitable work. The company is proud to close 2022 with nearly 12,200 employee volunteer hours logged and 210 employee-led volunteer events organized to benefit more than 185 charities.
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Giant Food Launching Virtual ‘Healthier Together’ Classes
Giant Food Announces “Healthier Together” Virtual Series to Promote and Explore Wellness in the New Year
Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C. regional grocery chain, is launching a five-week “Healthier Together” virtual series of free online nutrition and healthy living classes aimed at supporting the wellness goals of its local community. The series will run from Jan. 17-Feb.14 and will be hosted by Giant’s Healthy Living Team of registered dietitian nutritionists who will provide guidance, inspiration, recipe, and product suggestions for those looking to kick off a healthy new year.
“Implementing lifestyle changes big or small can be overwhelming and we know change looks different for everyone,” said Lisa Coleman, director of Healthy Living at Giant. “Our team has created a program that provides realistic solutions and helpful resources for those in the community who want to start the new year off by prioritizing their wellness.”
Attendees are invited to join the live classes on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. EST or to watch recorded sessions at a time of their choosing. The sessions will explore the following topics:
- Jan. 17 – Organizing and Planning for the New Year: From Meal Planning to home keeping, learn how to better manage your budget and time using simple tools and strategies.
- Jan. 24 – A Mindful Approach to the New Year: Mindfulness is all about being present. Learn how mindfulness applies to eating, meaningful connections and work-life balance.
- Jan. 31 – Healthy Habits to Support Fitness Goals: Whether you work out at home, in the gym, or somewhere in between, healthy habits are essential to obtain and maintain your fitness goals.
- Feb. 7 – Food as Preventative Medicine: The link between food and health is more important than ever before. Learn how to shop for long-term health and wellbeing.
- Feb. 14 – Expanding & Balancing Your Plate: Healthy doesn’t have to be boring – in fact, it can be just the opposite when you try something new or trendy.
Throughout the series, the Giant Healthy Living Team will also be showcasing Guiding Stars rated products that can effectively support a full spectrum of wellness goals. To encourage customers to make healthier food choices, Giant Flexible Rewards members can opt in to receive 2x Flexible Rewards points when they shop Guiding Stars rated products.
To register for the “Healthier Together” series, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/healthier-together-a-5-week-series-tickets-399165333257 or giantfood.com/healthiertogether.
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Whole Foods Market to Open 1st Store in Montana
Whole Foods Market will open a new 31,718-square-foot store in Bozeman, Mon., located at 2905 W. Main St., on Feb. 1, at 9 a.m. The Bozeman location will be the first store in Montana for the global natural and organic foods retailer.
Designed with outdoor adventure in mind, the store features a modern and earthy look including exposed wood beams, high ceilings and large paneled windows overlooking the nearby mountains. An outdoor patio with outdoor heaters provides a cozy atmosphere for dining or tsipping a coffee from the local, women-owned coffee bar, Treeline Coffee Roasters.
The new location’s product assortment features more than 75 local items from Montana and Wyoming, hand-picked by Darcy Landis, local forager for Whole Foods Market’s Mountain Pacific Region.
Additional features of the Bozeman store include:
- An array of organic, conventional and Sourced for Good produce and a floral section with seasonal offerings from local farms. Customers can find cut flowers from Rodi Farm, a fifth-generation farm in Laurel, Montana and High Country Growers, a family-owned garden center farm located in Helena, Montana.
- Specialty department dedicated to celebrating cheesemakers and artisan producers, which features more than 100 cheeses from around the world including United States, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Netherlands, Italy and Greece, as well as organic goat cheese from Montana’s Amaltheia Organic Dairy. The cheese counter is overseen by knowledgeable cheesemongers who can offer recommendations and pairings for any occasion.
- Curated grocery section filled with favorites from the grocer’s private label, 365 by Whole Foods Market, local products including plant-based dips from canned vegetables and jams from Roots Kitchen and Cannery, safflower oil from The Oil Barn and caramels from Bèquet Confections.
- Full-service seafood counter featuring made-in-house seafood cakes, smoked seafood, ready-to cook meals and Lobster Mac and Cheese. All offerings are either sustainable, wild-caught or Responsibly Farmed.
- Full-service meat counter, with butchers available to cut steaks to order or debone poultry. Featured offerings include ready-to cook stuffed chicken breast, meatloaf, and meatballs, and made-in-house sausage and double smoked bacon.
- Local craft beers from Bozeman Brewing Company, Bridger Brewing, MAP Brewing Company, Mountains Walking Brewery and The Outlaw Brewing Company. Extensive, curated selection of wines featuring international and vintage offerings sourced by Whole Foods Market’s expert wine team. Local wine options include selections from Ten Spoons Winery.
- Prepared Foods section that includes a hot food bar, salad bar, soup station, made-in-house rotisserie chicken, sushi by Genji, and fresh hot pizza. Customers can easily pickup prepacked salads and sandwiches to go.
- A full-service coffee bar from locally and women-owned Treeline Coffee Roasters, offering its complete menu of coffee, teas, and retail items in-store and through online preorder/pickup. Seasonal winter drinks include Matcha-ado About Nothing, The Perfect Pair, and Orange is the New Vanilla.
- Bakery department with everyday favorites such as Whole Foods Market’s Berry Chantilly Cake, brown butter cookies, croissants, and scones. The department also carries a wide variety of special diet items including chocolate cupcakes from Better Bites, muffins from Abe’s Vegan Mini Muffins and vegan brownies and cookies from Whole Foods Market’s private label.
- An array of supplements, beauty, and lifestyle products found in the Whole Body department, including cards from Birds & Beasleys located in Helena and soy-based candles from Ignite Candle Company located in Billings.
Whole Foods Market’s Bozeman store will be open from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. MST on opening day. Opening day festivities begin at 7 a.m. and include scratch-and-win Whole Foods Market gift cards for the first 250 customers, coffee and hot chocolate samples from Treeline Coffee Roasters, and Whole Foods Market pastries for shoppers waiting in line prior to opening.
The store’s regular hours will be 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. MST daily following the opening.
To give back to the community, Whole Foods Market is donating to local organizations Big Sky Youth Empowerment and Gallatin Valley Land Trust. Additionally, nonprofit organization HRDC is a recipient of Whole Foods Market’s Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program, receiving a refrigerated van to transport both perishable and nonperishable rescued food to communities in need.
In advance of the opening, Whole Foods Market will host open hiring events for both full-time and part-time positions. Information on the events can be found at www.joinwholefoods.com/events. Events are limited in capacity and will be removed from the website once full. More information on benefits, company culture, and open roles at the Bozeman store is available on the Whole Foods Market careers website, www.wholefoodsmarket.com/careers.
All food at Whole Foods Market must meet the company’s rigorous Quality Standards, which prohibit hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and more than 150 flavors, colors, sweeteners and other ingredients commonly found in food. In addition, all beauty and body care products must meet the company’s body care standards, which ban more than 100 commonly used ingredients, including phthalates, parabens and microbeads.
Amazon Prime members who shop at Whole Foods Market have access to a number of benefits year-round, including deep discounts on select popular products each week and an additional 10% off hundreds of in-store sale items. Grocery pickup will be available at Whole Foods Market Bozeman. For more information and hours of operation, please visit wholefoods.com/stores/bozeman.
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