Whole Foods Partners with Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless to Help Send Homeless Children to Summer Camp

Whole Foods Rockville will donate 5% of all sales on April 26, 2006 to the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless to send homeless children to summer camp.

Rockville, MD (PRWEB) March 29, 2006 -- The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless is partnering with Whole Foods Market, Inc. to raise funds and give homeless children the opportunity to attend summer camp.

The Coalition has been chosen as the beneficiary organization of “5% Community Support Day” at the Whole Foods Market in Rockville, located at 1649 Rockville Pike in the Congressional Plaza Shopping Center. On April 26, 5% of all sales at the Rockville store will be donated to Seneca Heights Apartments, a housing program for homeless families and single adults run by the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless. The 5% Day earnings will help to pay summer camp fees for the children living at Seneca Heights.

In tandem with the 5% Day, popular Maryland cookbook author, Kerry Dunnington, will demonstrate unusual salad recipes that focus on nutrition with flavor from her cookbook, "This Book Cooks," in the café. The demonstration will take place from 7-8:30 p.m.    

“We are very excited to partner with Whole Foods Market in this effort to help children experiencing homelessness in our community," said Sharan London, Executive Director of the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless. "Families who are experiencing homelessness spend most of their energy and resources on day-to-day survival, making recreation a luxury and summer camp a huge financial burden that most of these families simply cannot afford. It is a pleasure to partner with a company that recognizes how important it is to provide these children with the opportunity to explore and enjoy activities that they may not otherwise be able to experience.”

Over the course of a year, an estimated 4,500 people experience homelessness in Montgomery County. In 2005, over 1,600 people, one third of them children, were counted as homeless in a one-day census at homeless provider sites. MCCH is a nonprofit organization that provides shelter, supportive services and advocacy for the homeless in our community. Last year MCCH served 1,350 homeless men, women and children through the following programs: Breaking Down Barriers, Hope Housing, Safe Havens, Men’s Emergency Shelter, Partnership for Permanent Housing, and Seneca Heights Apartments. In addition, the Coalition is spearheading a 10-year plan to end homelessness in our community called "Homelessness in Montgomery County: Beginning to End."

Contact:
Julie Maltzman
Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless
301.217.0314 x13
www.mcch.net

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