Whole Foods Market.

[Cobalt Violet]

I shop there for food sometimes. I don't shop exclusively there but I spend enought.

The company is located in a Red State, TX.

Does anyone know if they supported bush? I have always thought them to be a progessive company. But that could be the air they give.

I need to know because I am stopping all business with red states unless the company is progressive.

[sniffa]

1. hmmm

i was toLd earLier today that starbucks is a bush-backer, and i scoffed. i responded, "that wouLd be Like whoLe foods or ben & jerry's being bush backers."

but, what do i know?

[hlthe2b]

2. I'd like to know too...

[trotsky]

3. Here's something from their website

Doesn't look like they are big fans of the Mepub agenda:

http://www.wholefoods.com/wfar99/99contributions.html

In 1999 we made donations in cash and product of more than $2.4 million to hundreds of different organizations. These included, among many others, public radio stations, museums, river and creek cleanups, hospices, literary councils, schools, recycling organizations, soup kitchens, playground rebuilding projects, and organizations promoting organic agriculture. Our National 5% Day on June 9th raised more than $170,000 for organizations supporting farmworkers, including Casa de la Cultura in Pajaro, California, the Rural Development Center in Salinas, California, the Connecticut River Valley Farmworker Health Project in Boston, Massachusetts, and the St. Mary's Catholic Church Clinic in Pahokee, Florida. Here are some representative projects in which Whole Foods Market was involved in 1999.

I really love their products, problem is it's very spendy.

[displacedtexan]

10. Their problem is that they won't recognize union workers' rights.

Workers who belong to national grocery workers' unions are SOL at Whole Foods.

[quisp]

4. You can do the research

at their website
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/investor/

[Cobalt Violet]

5. Thanks,

I decided to just email them and ask them.

[fudge stripe cookays]

6. They are an Austin institution.

Austin is a progressive mecca, and Whole Foods has always been a mecca within the mecca, even when I was growing up. I don't believe they'd be supporting Chimpy. They'd alienate a lot of their regular shoppers.

FSC

[el_gato]

7. Hard core anti-union

they are not anything that great to support

[tavalon]

8. Heavens no!

They are from Austin, TX and they are extremely progressive. Austin is the blue city in that awful red state.

[Cobalt Violet]

9. That is what I thought..

But I really need to clear it up. I'm now going to go threw every product I buy there and everywhere and make sure I know where my $$ will end up.

[Cobalt Violet]

11. They returned my email ,here it is:

Hello

Thank you for writing to Whole Foods Market. I welcome the opportunity
to discuss with you our donation and contribution policy.

Every store across the country works with their customers and community
organizations to determine where to offer our support. Whole Foods
Market donates a minimum of 5% of our after-tax profits to a wide
variety of community and non-profit organizations in the cities in
which
we operate stores. Many of these donations are initiated at the store
level, in order to directly benefit causes that are important to our
local customers. We offer our support through sponsorship, special
events and fundraising assistance. Our stores host "5% Days" where a
non-profit group is designated to receive 5% of the net sales for the
day. To stay in touch with the needs of the communities, we supply and
collect donation request forms at our customer service counters.

The National office for Whole Foods Market gives after-tax
contributions
to environmental and food safety organizations.

Active participation in the communities is a core value for Whole Foods
Market. Each store receives many requests from organizations, schools,
and various church groups for either product or monetary donations.

We are a non-partisan natural food grocery store. We serve all types of
people from all walks of life. Our stores are community centers for
people to enjoy whether they believe in one religion, one lifestyle, or
one diet.

In the 1997 fiscal year, the company made cash and product donations of
more than $1.3 million. These contributions supported more than 1,500
non-profit organizations working locally, regionally and nationally.
Here's a representative sample of the groups we assisted in 1997:
Aidido Yoshokai Association of North America, Aids Walk, Alcoholics
Anonymous, American Botanical Council, American Cancer Society, Animal
Care League, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Art Across Borders, Bach Open
School, Big Sky Gardens, BRAVO for the Performing Arts, Bring Our
Hearts
Together, Cabrini Green Youth Program, Chefs Collaborative, Cheney
Mansion Breakfast with Santa for Needy Kids, Chicago Food Depository,
Child Care Network, CIVITAS, Community Blood Drive, DARE Program,
Daycroft Montessori, Domestic Violence Project, Dreams Come True,
E-Town, Eagle Heights Food Co-op, Eclipse Theater, Ecology Reports,
Empty Bowls, Epilepsy Parent and Family Network, Esperanza Community
Services, Ethnic Arts Fair, Evanston Chamber of Commerce, Family
Enhancement Group, Feeding Your Whole Self, Fillmore Center for Human
Services, Folk Arte, Food Gatherers, Footsteps Theater Company, Gabriel
Richard High School, Galloping Ghost Runs, Genesis House, Girl
Scouts-Oak Park, Giving Tree Party, Grant Park Symphony, Greater
Madison
Housing Foundation, Green Corps, Habitat For Humanity, Hanuman
Foundation-Ram Dass Fund, Hatch School, Head Start, Hemingway
Foundation, HIV Coalition, Human Rights Campaign, Huron Valley Sierra
Club, Illinois Action For Children, Independent Film Makers, Indian
Trails Public Library, Infant Welfare League, International Special
Events Society, Jack and Jill of America, Jazzercise for Breast Cancer,
Jewish Community Center Preschool, Jobs For Youth Chicago, Kilbourn
Park
Organic Greenhouse and Gardens, La Leche League, Lakeview Citizen's
Council, Lead Elimination Action Drive, League of Women Voters, Little
Sisters, Lutheran Child and Family Services, March of Dimes, Mass
Athletic Triathlon Series, Meeting House Nursery School, Mended Hearts
Auction, Michigan Theater, Mission Health, NAACP, National Runaway
Switchboard, Neighborhood Senior Services, Nonprofit Enterprise at
Work,
North Avenue Day Nursery, North Park Village Nature Center, Olbrich
Botanical Gardens, Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust, Organic
Farming Research Foundation, Organic Harvest, Organic Trade
Association,
Ow My Eye Productions, Ox-Bow Summer School, Ozone House, Parents
Concern Society, Paramount Theatre, Park Ridge Summer Youth Orchestra,
Pig Hoppers, Planned Parenthood, Purple Rose Theater, Rainbow House,
Rape Crisis Center, Relay For Life, Residents for Emergency Shelter,
Ronald McDonald House, Rudolph Steiner School, Sacred Heart Parent
Teacher Organization, Serving the Needs of Our Brothers, Shakespeare
Festival, SOS Crisis Center, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Stone School
Cooperative Nursery, Sunrise School, Tibetan Children's Home, Twin
Cities Chicago Aids Ride, Ultimate Frisbee League, United Plant Savers,
United Way, University Health Services, Vegetarian Information Network
and Exchange, Village Art Fair, Vision 2000 Advisory Team, WEMU-FM
Public Radio, West Madison Little League Team, Wheaton Sports Center,
Whirlwind, Wild Swan Theater, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin
Public Radio, Workout for Hope, Youth Guidance, Zen Buddhist Temple.

Thank you for your feedback. It helps us learn more about our
customers.

Sincerely,
Janie Hubbard
Customer Information Coordinator Assistant