Did you receive everything you wanted for the holidays? Perhaps you did but there are always a few items that are well, questionable.

Basically, the question is—do I keep it or return it? You know the items I am referring to—that sweater that is too big, or the hat and mittens that don’t match or maybe that pair of socks that just doesn’t fit your style.

However, have you every considered donating these items to charity? This is one of the coldest times of the year and some people can’t even afford warm clothes. So instead of returning that sweater, bring it into Valley Natural Foods and donate it to our Caring Community Casual Clothing Drive (tubs located by the registers). The clothing drive goes through the end of this week (December 31st) and we are collecting new hats and mittens, sweaters, sweatshirts, and lounge pants in all shapes and sizes. All clothing will be donated to the  local charity, 360 Communities, which will give all the clothes to families in need.

Also, a special thanks goes out to all our members and shoppers who participated in our Caring Community donation gift bag food drive.  Ending on December 21st, the collection was a great success because we sold a whopping 165 bags and raised nearly $650 for the food shelf!  Thanks members and shoppers for all your support!

We donated a portion of the proceeds made from each $5.00 gift bag sale along with any cash collected at each register. Because of the success of this giving event we are tenatively planning another special  food drive during the month of March, look for details on this within the coming months.

We will also continue to have our food donation barrels located by our store’s exit.  360 Communities’ food shelf is always in need of canned fruit, canned tuna, canned chicken, pancake mix, syrup, peanut butter and jelly, canned peas, juice boxes and personal hygiene items such as shampoo and toothpaste.

We had lots of presents floating around our store the last few weeks but they weren’t for our employees! As most people already know, Valley Natural Foods sponsored an Armful of Love Family through Burnsville’s 360 Communities this year.

Armful of Love matches sponsors with families facing financial difficulties during the holiday season. The sponsor buys gifts for the family, ensuring they have some presents under the tree!

We sponsored a large, 5 person family so our employees had a lot of shopping to do! Also, we had a lot of gift wrapping to do too! Encouraged by candy canes and chocolate chip cookies from our deli department, Valley Natural Foods staff felt energized to pull through a festive gift wrapping event held in the eating area last week. We dropped off our gifts this past Monday, December 13th to the Armful of Love warehouse which was packed full of gifts for many families in the area. Rows and rows of gifts were sprawled across the warehouse, making for a very inspirational representation of what everybody should do this holiday season-give to those in need!

We also want to remind customers that they too can help out 360 Communities Armful of Love program by donating clothing at Valley Natural Foods.  We are in need of new mittens, hats, lounge pants, sweatshirts in all shapes and sizes! Our  ”Caring Community Clothing Drive” drop boxes are  located by the checkout. 

If you’d like to donate  hats,  mittens or scarves, it is possible to purchase them at Valley Natural Foods. Whether it be Andes, Toazty Kidz or Minnesota Mittens; we have a wealth of options available!  Our clothing drive will continue through the end of December 2010.

Tis the season of giving at Valley Natural Foods!

Amidst all your holiday gift buying, it is also time to think of those in need this year. Locally, even Dakota County residents need our help.

Valley Natural Foods is partnering with 360 Communities,  a Dakota County non-profit that serves 20,000 people each year through its food assistance, domestic violence prevention and early education programs to bring some much needed relief to these residents.

360 Communities has experienced a 17% increase in total clients from 2009 numbers and incoming calls have increased by 33%.  Dakota County stats indicate that there has been a 90% increase in income levels below poverty levels from 2008-2009 and a 100% increase in unemployment.

Starting December 1st through December 23rd, 2010, our new “Caring Community” campaign celebrates giving our customers an opportunity to show their community how much they care! For the last eight years, including this year, Valley Natural Foods has adopted a 360 Communities Armful of Love  family. Valley Natural Foods staff purchases gifts for this needy family, ensuring they have some presents under the tree.

This year we wanted to give our customers the chance to provide gifts to local families in need. Although food is a necessity, clothing is too!

We are collecting NEW (no used items please) unwrapped casual clothing items for this great cause starting on December 1st, 2010:

-sweatshirts
-lounge pants
-long-sleeved shirts
-hats and mittens
-socks

 You can even purchase some items at Valley Natural Foods!  Valley Natural Foods’ vendors, Toasty Kidz, based in Rosemount, and Minnesota Mittens, based in Winona, provide customers with local options for purchase of hats and mittens for clothing drive donation. Donation barrels will be located directly past the check-out area.

Why do we suggest donating “new” items? Just as Valley Natural Foods wants to provide the community with wholesome, high quality, fresh food, we also want to uphold the same values with the clothing items we donate. We feel it is important as we try to spead our mission of becoming a healthy community! It will also show the community that Valley Natural Foods customers do care a  lot!