Vernon Food Bank cheque presentation: left to right is Brandon Molzahan, assistant store manager and Tara Berger, store manager of Natures Fare presenting a $10,000 cheque to Jen and Neil Thompson, auxiliary lieutenants, Salvation Army Vernon. (Submitted photo/Natures Fare)

By Pete McIntyre

$198,000 in donations

Nature’s Fare gives back to B.C.

Dec 22, 2021 | 2:00 PM

A B.C.-based business is providing assistance to non-profit groups and organizations in what has been another challenging year.

Nature’s Fare Markets, an organic grocery and wellness chain, has made $198,000 in donations to causes it has long supported and some new ones that have played an especially important role in uplifting B.C. this year.

“We really are a very employee and customer-centric organization and the health of our communities is very important to us—I really believe this is why we all come to work,” said Michael Sherwood, CEO, Nature’s Fare Markets. “To be able to give back to the communities where our teams and customers live, work and play is very meaningful.”

For years, Nature’s Fare has supported a handful of non-profits leading the way in environmental stewardship and food access, but in this especially trying year, the company wanted to expand its impact to other local causes large and small in 2021.

Among the donations are $10,000 to the Vernon Food Bank and $10,000 to the Kelowna Food Bank. The Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation has received $45,000, with Kelowna General Hospital Foundation getting $10,000.

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Among the community causes getting funding was $2,000 for the North Valley Gymnastics Society that lost its facility in Vernon to a fire on Oct. 31.

The company also provided $5,000 to Organic B.C., the certifying body of organic food in B.C. that supports producers making the transition to becoming certified organic growers and advocates for a resilient organic sector in B.C.

“We only sell 100 per cent organic produce so this work is very near and dear to our hearts,” Sherwood remarked. “The more certified organic food we grow, the better it is for the environment and the next generation, and our opportunities to help customers buy locally grown organic produce.”

For every bring-your-own-bag customers use, Nature’s Fare donates 5 cents to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, resulting in $11,000 in 2021.