Donations
We support our communities
Supporting our communities is a key value for our company. We do this through several ways, including providing family-wage jobs, practicing sustainable business choices and utilizing local producers and suppliers.
We also donate to many nonprofit organizations in our communities. These donations take the form of food gifts, team member volunteerism and scrip fundraising.
Our giving criteria is simple: we want to be a good neighbor, good corporate and environmental citizen, and we want to support the civic involvement of our team.
Our donations are made primarily through gift cards to our stores. Organizations which would like to receive consideration must be IRS-approved, tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. We do not make donations to individuals.
To apply for a donation, please fill out our donation request form, and submit it to the Store Manager at your local store: his/her recommendation is required for consideration. Please allow three weeks to process.
Scrip is Fundraising Make Easy
We also offer a scrip program for churches, schools and other nonprofit groups. These groups may purchase gift cards, and resell them to their members, retaining 5% of the total proceeds. Scrip is ordered in $1,000 increments (paid in advance), and the organization retains $50 of each order. Organizations find this an easy way to fundraise, since their members can use the gift cards, available in any amount, for their regular grocery shopping. There is no limit to the amount of scrip a group may purchase, and they may be ordered in any amount from $25 and up.
To apply for the scrip discount program, contact us at (360) 714-7746.
Our Food For All, Helping Paws and Helpful Harvest recipients
Whether it's good times or bad, there are always so many people (and their pets) who are going hungry. We know that almost half of the counted hungry in our country are children, and that's just not acceptable to us.
We are currently offering our customers and employees two opportunities to share their good fortune: Food For All and Helpful Harvest/Helping Paws.
The first, Food For All, begins November 20 in all our stores. Customers donate $1, $3 or $5 to this nationwide crusade. The money is then returned to food aid organizations in the US and overseas. The campaign concludes on January 2.
We have designated the following to receive our donations this year: Senior Meals on Wheels (Mt. Vernon), Helping Hands Food Bank of Sedro Woolley (Sedro Woolley), Arlington Food Bank (Arlington), Oso Food Bank (Arlington), Nooksack Valley Food Bank (Everson), Bellingham Food Bank (Bellingham), Anacortes 100 Food Bank (Anacortes), Salt of the Earth Food Bank (Everett), Blue Skies for Children (Lynden), Lighthouse Mission (Bellingham), Ferndale Food Bank (Ferndale), Southside Food Bank (Bellingham), Blaine Food Bank (Blaine and Birch Bay), Wenatchee Food Bank (Wenatchee), Selah Civic Center Food Bank (Selah), Wapato Food Bank (Wapato), Community Services of Moses Lake (Moses Lake), Wenatchee Food Bank( East Wenatchee) and Prosser Senior Center (Prosser).
The other campaign, Helpful Harvest and Helping Paws, is ongoing throughout the year. In this donation program, $10 bags are available for purchase. There is a bag for people, holding essential nonperishables, as well as a dog comfort bag and a cat comfort bag. The bags are picked up by local food banks. The food banks are listed above, with the addition of Project Hope in Lynden. In our first year, over 3,000 bags have been purchased by customers and employees and donated.
For the animal care bags, donations are directed to the Humane Society's Happy Paws Farm (Arlington), Everett Animal Shelter ,Whatcom Humane Society, Humane Society of Skagit County, Voice of the Animals (Whatcom County),Wenatchee Valley Humane Society, Moses Lake-Grant County Humane Society, and Prosser Animal Shelter.
Gift Cards
Convenient and Ready to Use
Our own gift cards, good in any dollar amount from any of our stores, are easy answers to the eternal question: what should I give him or her? Perfect for any and every occasion, you can purchase them at our checkstands and have them activated on the spot. Never expires, always welcome and easy to carry with you: The Markets gift card makes sense! To order directly, please contact us at darlenechurch@themarketsllc.com or call (360) 714-7746...or just stop by any of our stores today.
By the way, we also offer an extensive variety of other retail gift cards, from well-known national retailers. When you're stumped for a gift, check out our displays. We have cards from home retailers, electronics, clothing stores and much more. Easy and convenient: that's our aim!