On Aug. 26, the Lazy Acres grocery store in Mission Hills launched a new program that both engages customers and will benefit a number of local nonprofits, each hand-selected “for doing important work in the area, with a focus in K-12 education efforts, hunger relief, and environmental stewardship,” stated a press release.
The program will reward customers for thinking sustainably and helping the environment by shopping with reusable bags, and then let them “give back” to the community at the same time.
“Envirotokens” will be awarded to shoppers at checkout when they use their own grocery bag (tokens are worth 10 cents per bag). As customers exit the store, they can drop their token(s) into one or more boxes for the community partner of their choice.
At the end of the month, the Envirotokens will be tallied up, converted into dollars, and a check will be sent to the chosen benefactors, which include, Art Reach San Diego; Grant Education Foundation; Kitchens for Good; San Diego Humane Society; San Diego River Park Foundation; and the San Diego LGBT Community Center.
“The Center is located just a few blocks from our Mission Hills store, which borders the Hillcrest neighborhood, and they have a food pantry on-site,” said Kate Halper, marketing director of Lazy Acres Natural Market. “Supporting our nearby neighbors to combat food insecurity is part of how we live our mission as a community-minded grocer.”
The program kicked off on Aug. 26 with a celebration at the grocery store, which included reusable bag giveaways, community partner representatives, games, other giveaways, a scavenger hunt, and more.
“Caring for community is central to who we are,” said Geoff Babb, vice president of operations for Lazy Acres. “For more than 30 years, we’ve been focused on doing the right thing for our neighbors, for our earth, and for each other. This new giving program is another way we can work together with our collective future in mind. When our customers make a sustainable choice to reduce waste and reuse, our local neighborhoods will benefit.”
Lazy Acres Mission Hills is located at 422 W. Washington St., and open from 6 am to 10 pm, Monday through Sunday. For additional Envirotokens information, store hours, and more information, visit lazyacres.com.
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