Every Coin Counts: Register Round Up Program
Every time you make a purchase at the register, you have the opportunity to round up your total to the next dollar. That change is directly donated through our Change Matters program to 12 non-profits in our community. Last fiscal year, change donations totaled $71,296! This year, we’re excited to expand the program to Linden Hills Co-op to make an even greater impact. Here we announce the 2018 Change Matters recipients and dive deeper into how your small change donations made a big difference for two of our 2017 partners. Thank you for supporting Change Matters.
Mashkiikii Gitigan July 2017 Recipient
The Wedge community raised $8,439 for Mashkiikii Gitigan!
Community funding from local independent businesses like the Wedge have empowered Mashkiikii Gitigan to expand into two new sites, deliver community course content in Cottage Industry food production and preservation skills, and provide budget room for field trips for our 4-H program.
The Wedge’s funding made the difference in being able to balance the high-intensity demands of food production and equitable distribution with our education program. We were able to extend our 15 weeks of classes into 19 events, featuring a stellar line-up of reputable 1st Nations and Native organizational teachers and an off-site foraging walk at Minnehaha Falls, attended by 50 participants.
2017 was a season of major transition for our project, and the support of the Wedge offered serious glue while we created stepping stones into a new year. For 2018, we anticipate the growth of our Chicago Lead Resilience site to include a food forest and mushroom production, transitioning the central site to offer collective community gardening space, strengthening our themes around equity and training for our staff and volunteers, bringing together an Elder’s council to navigate challenges in the garden, continuing our Grow Your Own classes, and offering tours in Ojibwe/Dakota language.
Thank you to the Change Matters Program, and for all the community members who put their “two cents” towards Mashkiikii Gitigan.
Open Arms of Minnesota November 2017 Recipient
The Wedge community raised $9,393 for Open Arms!
It is incredible what a big impact can come from small change! During November 2016 and 2017, Wedge shoppers helped nourish their neighbors through donations at the registers to Open Arms of Minnesota. Small change donations made by Wedge shoppers this year supported 1,878 nutritious, medically tailored meals for Open Arms clients.
Open Arms of Minnesota is a non-profit that prepares and delivers free meals tailored to meet the nutritional needs of individuals living with life-threatening illnesses. Open Arms serves about 1,000 people each week in the Twin Cities metro living with illnesses like cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), as well as their caregivers and dependent children.
The Change Matters program directly supports Open Arms’ meal preparation and delivery program. Each week, Open Arms clients get a weekly delivery of 12 medically tailored meals made from scratch in our state-of-the-art kitchen. Meals are delivered to clients’ doors by volunteers, offering a weekly dose of human contact, compassion and hope.
Open Arms of Minnesota is grateful for the continued partnership of the Wedge and Linden Hills Co-ops through the Change Matters program and the generous support of Wedge shoppers in nourishing their neighbors.
Photos provided by Open Arms of MN