I visited my local Whole Foods last weekend and saw this cause marketing program at the register. I’ve seen these passive cause marketing programs before at Whole Foods, but this one was different. It benefited the West Suburban YMCA right down the street from the supermarket.

It was the first time I had seen a program at Newtonville Whole Foods benefit a nonprofit in my town.

Fortunately, I had a great contact at the Y, La Tanya Arnold, whom I met at a business event a while ago and turned out to be huge Halloween Town fan. She referred me to to Annmarie Cobb, Director of Annual Giving & Community Relations, who gave me the scoop.

This Whole Foods location is the only store raising money for the Newton Y. It isn’t part of a national effort by Whole Foods to raise money for Y’s, as I first suspected.… Keep reading

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