Natural Grocers Acts on Behalf of Future African American Leaders

In honor of Black History Month, a number of retailers, including Natural Grocers, are implementing initiatives to promote racial equity. Natural Grocers of Lakewood, Colo., is renewing its partnership with Jack and Jill of America Inc. (JJOA) in support of JJOA’s College Graduation Assistance Program (GAP) Fund. Natural Grocers will donate 1% of all purchases on Feb. 28, 2021, to the College GAP Fund, which provides scholarship endowments to students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs.) Additional regional fundraising support has expanded to be year-round.

Every year, a number of seniors attending HBCUs are ineligible to graduate due only to small unpaid bills. JJOA’s fundraising initiative, and Natural Grocers corporate sponsorship, provide a direct lifeline for HBCU students who are in good academic standing and on track to graduate but are faced with the ever-growing problem of tuition debt. Natural Grocers’ inaugural campaign in 2020 raised over $130,000.

The partnership between the two entities was born of a shared value system of commitment to the communities and families they serve through education and empowerment, says Natural Grocers. With 160 stores in 20 states, Natural Grocers supports the health and wellbeing of its communities with free nutrition education and high-quality affordable health and wellness choices.

Founded in 1938, JJOA is engaged with 252 chapters, representing more than 40,000 family members nationwide. The organization is dedicated to nurturing future African American leaders by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving, and civic duty, says the organization.

“As one of our founding principles, commitment to the health of our communities is a true reflection of why our parents founded Natural Grocers in 1955 and it remains a guiding beacon for the company,” said Kemper Isely, Natural Grocers chairman and co-president, in a release. “We are proud to join Jack and Jill of America in our collective purpose-driven mission to invest back into the growth and future of our communities.”

In addition to the national fundraising campaign on Feb. 28, the partnership has extended to a year-round give-back program with 12 JJOA regional chapters based in Denver, Colo., Dallas, Texas, and Little Rock, Ark.. Every JJOA member in these markets has 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. Members have also received additional cards to share with friends and family.

“This partnership aligns with our mission of nurturing future African-American leaders,” said Kornisha Brown, Jack and Jill national president. “In Natural Grocers, we have a partner who did more than just recognize the need to uplift our future leaders by helping HBCU students graduate on time. They acted.”