Natural Grocers Partners With Jack and Jill of America
Fast-growing Natural Grocers has joined forces with Jack and Jill of America (JJOA) for an innovative partnership to support families.
According to Natural Grocers, JJOA's work is consistent with the retailer's Five Founding Principles, which play a key factor in the company's commitment to its customers and the communities it serves.
Wahington, D.C.-based JJOA, founded in 1938, is a membership organization of mothers with children ages 2-19, dedicated to nurturing future African-American leaders by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty.
The two organizations have established a partnership based on their shared values of:
- Commitment to education and empowerment
- Commitment to the communities that they serve by making high-quality, affordable health-and-wellness choices accessible to all
- Commitment to providing opportunities for growth and advancement through purpose-driven institutionalized programs offered by each organization
The program is multifaceted and will include:
- Support for JJOA's Graduation Assistance Program (GAP) Fund
- Access to job and internships opportunities, as well as Natural Grocers' Store Manager Accelerated Readiness Training (SMART) program
"At Natural Grocers, our core principles not only define who we are, but also who we partner with in our mission to improve the health and well-being of our communities by providing access to affordable, high-quality food and nutrition education," said Kemper Isely, Natural Grocers' chairman and co-president. "As our partner, Jack and Jill of America helps us to reinforce our purpose-driven mission to all communities across the country."
The campaign started in October, when each member of the Portland Willamette Valley (PWV) JJOA chapter, in Oregon, received a Natural Grocers + Jack and Jill of America Partnership card, which, when presented at a Natural Grocers checkout, automatically triggers an uncapped 5% of sales give-back to the organization.
With the goal of raising a minimum of $120,000 for Jack and Jill of America in 2020, Natural Grocers is launching two fundraising efforts starting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 20.
On MLK Day, 2.5% of all Natural Grocers sales across the country will be donated to the JJOA's GAP Fund. The sales-based donation goal for the day is $60,000. Additionally, starting on MLK Day 2020 and running through Black History Month (Feb. 29), Natural Grocers customers will have the opportunity to make contributions directly to the JJOA Gap Fund at any one of Natural Grocers' 154 store locations. The fundraising goal is $60,000 of customer-donated dollars.
Natural Grocers will recruit good4u Crew team members from the JJOA network and will offer career and training opportunities for the JJOA family network in the states in which the company operates. Among these activities:
- Joining the good4u Crew with potential career paths that include Nutritional Health Coaching, and roles in the Natural Grocers Store Support Center and Bulk Food Distribution Center
- Benefits, perks and discounts at Natural Grocers, structured and accelerated career paths, and ongoing education and training throughout employment
- The SMART Program, a nine-month initiative that provides fast-tracked training to highly motivated department managers to transition to store managers
- Internship opportunities for JJOA youth who are 18 years of age or older
With a current footprint of 153 locations in 19 states, Lakewood, Colo.-based Natural Grocers is poised for store unit growth and improved profitability. During its latest fiscal quarter, the retailer increased its net sales by 4.5% to $227.2 million. Operating income was $2.8 million. Net income was $1.4 million, with diluted earnings per share of 6 cents.
The company opened one new store and relocated one store in the fourth quarter, resulting in a 3.4% new-store growth rate for the 12-month period ended Sept. 30. The company ended the fourth quarter with a total store count of 153 stores in 19 states.
The company has signed leases for five new stores and acquired the property for two additional new stores to be located in Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington state. These new stores are planned to open during fiscal 2020 and beyond.
