We've all heard it before: "Would you like to sign up for our rewards program?" No. "Would you like to become a member?" No. "Would you like to donate to this charity?" No. But even in the face of such belligerent no-ing, Arlington Food Pavilion has been given a giant yes from customers and employees, and one big thank you from local food banks.

During The Markets' annual participation in the Food For All program, the Arlington store raised more money than any of the other 18 Markets locations, tallying up $5,000 out of a company total of $24,000.

Store Manager Loly Ramirez attributes the store's success to team involvement. "The employees are really close with the customers," said Ramirez. "The customers trust us, and trust that the money's going toward a good cause within the community." During the promotional period from mid-November to January 9, shoppers are given the option of donating $1, $3 or $5 to community charities: in this store's case, the donations were split between the Darrlington and Arlington Food Banks.

Another reason for their success is ultra competitive grocery checker David Grandlund, who raised more donations than any other Markets employee, attributing his success to a competitive nature and close relationship with the customers. "Everyone knows me," he said. Once during a snow storm, a customer even brought chains to put on David's tires while he was working, while another put them on for him. "I would do the same for them," said Grandlund.

Of the $5,000 raised by the Arlington store, David tallied up $4,094 on his own --- about 17% of the company's total donations for the year, and this done with him only working 20 hours a week. According to Ramirez, not one customer made it through his line without being asked to donate to Food For All.

Food For all is a non-profit organization whose efforts to alleviate hunger span across the nation in over 6,000 grocery retailers, and whose donations contribute to the domestic and global fight to end hunger. Since 1985, Food For All has raised $71.5 million to help hungry communities become more self-sufficient. The Markets is the only Washington-owned grocery company participating in Food For All, and has raised over $200,000 in the last 12 years since joining the program.

"The program is awesome," said Ramirez. "The money is distributed all year long --- not just during the holiday season when everyone's donating." Grandlund agreed, saying he was motivated by the fact the donations would stay within the community. "I wanted to show that Arlington could do this," he said.

After transferring to the Arlington Food Pavilion in 2005, Grandlund came home from his first shift telling his wife he'd died and gone to heaven. "People are good in Arlington --- they take care of each other," he said.

Grandlund's determination is just one component in the fight against hunger. Globally, 925 million people are undernourished according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, while 49 million Americans lack consistent access to food, according to a 2009 report by the Department of Agriculture.

To learn more about Food For all, visit www.foodforall.org  and for information about the fight against hunger, visit www.worldhunger.org 

Thanks to you, our amazing customers, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) will be sending an additional 13 children to summer camp at Lake Stevens this year. The children won't pay a dime for the treat of attending a camp designed especially for kids with diseases that affect voluntary muscles.

Shamrocks Against Dystrophy, our checkstand donation program that ran from mid-February through St. Patrick's Day, raised $10,725 and some change! All eighteen of our stores participated, and helped make a difference for deserving kids, all in our own communities.

We are happy to partner with MDA again this year, and have collectively raised over $100,000 for the past decade.  To learn more about MDA and how they help kids and their families, visit www.mda.org

Nickels ---the bottom dwelling, easily forgotten, dull-colored coin found stuck to your car's coffee-stained drink holder have a new job: saving local farmlands.

Every time a Markets' shopper brings in a reusable shopping bag, or bags (the new staple of grocery store chic), the store either rebates a nickel to shoppers, or they can choose to donate the coin to a local nonprofit.

Although this might not seem like much, The Market at Anacortes has already racked up $7,366 --amounting to 147,320 nickels! This means that in the three years since the program's inception, shoppers decreased waste by over 147,000 plastic bags, reducing the region's carbon footprint by 24,464 kg of carbon dioxide. Not bad for a five-cent piece.

The Market at Anacortes has surpassed the company's expectations, recently donating $1,189.05 to the nonprofit Skagitonians to Preserve Farmlands. Christy Tingstad, Assistant Store Manager, said customers love the idea of being green while shopping. "Many customers are adamant about the program, asking "Did you make sure to donate my nickel?'" Tingstad said it's a perfect fit for the Anacortes community and helps give back to the environment.

Skagitonians to Preserve Farmlands, or SPF, is a nonprofit that operates as a land trust and advocate for farmland protection, helping preserve the very landscape that fills grocery store shelves with a bounty of fresh, local produce.

There's no end-date in sight for The Markets' nickel rebate program, so the next time you're out grocery shopping, bring your bag, give a nickel, and preserve the environment. For more information about SPF and their work, visit Skagitonians.org and to learn about your carbon footprint, visit Timeforchange.org

We're a month away from St. Patrick's Day, but shamrocks will be on display at all Market stores beginning next Tuesday, February 15. 

We will be joining other retailers around the country for Shamrocks Against Dystrophy. This is the Muscular Dystrophy Association's (MDA) fundraiser to send kids with these diseases (a host of diseases that impact the voluntary muscles) to summer camp. Summer camp is a special treat for these children, who enjoy all the fun of camp surrounded by others with the same disabilities and diseases.

You can help send kids to camp by purchasing a shamrock at our checkstands. Add $1, $5 or $10 to your grocery bill whenever you shop with us...now through March 17, and we'll add that to our total donation to MDA. Our stores have participated in this worthy program for several years, and we're gratified to help the children who live in our communities and are impacted by these diseases. Thanks for joining us!

• USA Today, the national newspaper, recently mentioned The Markets in an article on electric cars.  It noted:

            "In Bellingham, Wash., a charging station was opened at The Market at Fairhaven in January 2010....the first grocery store in the country to install one...people can pull in, plug in and during a shopping trip they can get enough juice to go another 10 miles."

• More kudos for The Markets!  We received a national merchandising award for one of our signature promotions, "Bayou Bash."   The award, one of a dozen given by the National Grocers Association, recognized Bayou Bash in its Best Special Event ad category.  Bayou Bash was held during the traditional Mardi Gras celebration last February at The Market stores in Fairhaven, Birch Bay and Anacortes.  It included hot sauce tasting, a live jazz band, special Cajun foods, contests to win your weight in meat, and much more.  The Markets also received an honorable mention in the charitable cause event cagegory for its "Fundraising for Olivia."  This one-day event in May raised over $10,000 from the proceeds of The Market at Fairhaven's new MarketQ BBQ.  This is the second year in a row that The Markets have won a national merchandising award for our creative ads and promos.

Tomorrow marks the start of our 12th year as a company hosting Food For All, the food industry's crusade against hunger.

All our stores will have info stands at each checkout station with coupons for $1, $3 or $5.  Just select one, hand it to your checker, and it will be added to your grocery bill.  We track all the donations, and at the end of the holiday season --- December 31 --- we will add them up and make a big donation, we hope, to the food-based charity in our communities.

Over the past 11 years, we have donated over $188,000 to feed hungry men, women and children right here in our own towns.  Each of our stores has chosen a local food charity to receive its donations.

It's an easy way to remember our friends and neighbors less fortunate, every time you shop.  Our food bank recipients this year include: Senior Meals on Wheels, Helping Hands Food Bank, Arlington Food Bank, Oso Food Bank, Darrington Food Bank, Nooksack Valley Food Bank, Bellingham Food Bank, Anacortes 100 Food Bank, Salt of the Earth Food Bank, Blaine Food Bank, Project Hope, Lighthouse Mission, Ferndale Food Bank, Southside Food Bank, Blaine Food Bank, Serve Wenatchee Valley, Selah Civic Center Food Bank, Wapato Food Bank and Prosser Senior Center.

Thank you for caring, and giving a bit to help out.  It makes a big difference!

If you  round up your grocery bill and donate your spare change...you'll play an important part in helping the Blaine High School Wind Ensemble travel to the Funabashi Music Festival in Tokyo, Japan.

The Ensemble is raising money for their January trip, and The Market at Birch Bay and Blaine Cost Cutter both will be collecting your spare change at the checkstands.  The Ensemble is an auditioned band at Blaine High School and is sponsored by the Blaine Fine Arts Association.  This is an invitational festival, which notes the high quality of the Ensemble.

We will collect spare change beginning this Friday, October 22 through Friday, November 5.  So let your change add up to a big sound...all the way to Tokyo!  For more information, contact Dorita Gray at (360) 380-1634.

October may shout out orange and black, but it's been also claimed as a pink month.  Pink, that is, in breast cancer awareness month. 

Our stores are proud to help get the word out this month about an important program: Ask Us!

Ask Us! is a program that offers women ages 40-64, with little or no insurance and limited income, the possibility of receiving a free mammogram.  Through the Breast, Cervical and Colon Health Program, there are also some free services available.  These include clinical breast exams, pap tests, diagnostic tests if needed and colon health screening.

How to access this?  It's easy:  we have brochures in our stores with phone numbers around the state.  Just a quick call to learn more and see if you're eligible:  it's 1-888-438-2247.  (There are also numbers for specific areas, such as Whatcom and Skagit County: 1-888-651-8931; see brochure for other counties.)

This program is paid for by the Washington State Department of Health, Washington Cares About Cancer, Susan G Komen For the Cure, and the American Cancer Society, among others.

Why are we spreading the word about this important program?  We have women team members, women customers, women family members, all of whom should be able to take advantage of a potentially life-saving procedure, a mammogram.  If you think you or someone you know could benefit from this, please call today.

Look for "Pink" Foods During October, Like Chuckanut Bay Cheesecake

You will probably notice several foods with pink ribbon imprints during October.  Many manufacturers take advantage of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and donate a percentage of certain product sales to cancer groups.

One of these you'll find is Chuckanut Bay Foods.  When you purchase any Chuckanut Bay Foods cheesecake in October, the company will make a donation to the Susan G. Komen For the Cure organization.  You can enjoy a delicious dessert and make a contribution in the fight against breast cancer.

You may have heard about a reported salmonella outbreak at an egg farm in Iowa.

The eggs we carry are from Dynes' Broadview Farms in the Skagit Valley.  Our eggs are not connected to this outbreak.

You can be confident that the eggs we sell are top quality, fed an all-vegetarian diet and are hormone-, stimulant- and steroid-free.

The safety of the food we sell is our top priority.  We are confident in the quality and value of the eggs produced and packed by Broadview Farms.

For more information, visit www.fda.gov

Championship level barbecue teams from all over the U.S. and Canada will compete at The Market at Fairhaven this weekend, August 7 and 8, for over $7,500 in prize money...and the public is invited to sample the best of the best BBQ.  Special guest Captain Keith Colburn of "The Deadliest Catch" will make an appearance on Sunday.

On Saturday, August 7, "Sneak Preview Day", visitors are invited to mingle with the teams, check out their grills and set-ups.  Lunch at the MarketQ All-American BBQ will be available, and a beer garden opens at 11:30.  Live music by Lumpkins from 12:30 to 3:30 and War Cry from 4 to 7 p.m. will kick off the fun, as the tantalizing aromas of pork butt, brisket, chicken and ribs fill the air at The Market, 3125 Old Fairhaven Parkway.

On Sunday, August 8, "The Main Event", sampling bracelets for $5 are available so guests can taste and compare entries in each of the categories.  The barbecued items will have been cooking over low heat for several hours, so they'll be ready for sampling.

Meet "Deadliest Catch" Captain Keith Colburn of the crab boat "The Wizard": he'll have autographs, photos and prizes.  Relax in the beer garden beginning at 11:30 and enjoy live music by the Marion Weston Trio from noon to 3 p.m.  Stay to watch the judging and see who walks away with top prizes for the best BBQ.  This is an official event of the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association. 

To start off the weekend, join us on Friday afternoon, August 6, from 4:30-7:30, as Bent Grass, a Northwest string band from Glacier, will be performing at The Market, where the MarketQ BBQ opens at 11 a.m.

For more information, check out www.pnwba.com