Rally for Change

Anytime you check-out at City Market, you can choose to "round up" your total to the nearest dollar. At the end of the month, we donate 50% of those funds to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, 40% to an organization that aligns with our Global Ends, and 10% to a local non-profit.

In September, you collectively donated $22,022.79! 

  • $11,011.40 for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf
  • $8,809.11 for Local Motion
  • $2,202.28 for Our Community Cares Camp

October's 50% Partner: 

Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf

The Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf is the largest direct service anti-hunger organization in Vermont. The Food Shelf provides critical nutrition assistance to more than 11,000 Chittenden County residents who struggle with food insecurity and hunger every year. Food Shelf programs provide groceries, hot meals, job training and support for thousands of our neighbors.

In October, City Market members donated $11,011.40 in support of the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf through Rally for Change. These funds will help provide more than 19,820 meals to our neighbors in Chittenden County who are hungry or food insecure. These funds will also help power CEFS’ food rescue program that saves thousands of pounds of edible food from being composted or going into landfills each month and transforms this rescued food into nutritious meals for people who need them. 

October's 40% Partner:

Co-op Seedling Grants

Now in its fifth year, the Co-op Seedling Grants Program has previously been supported through the generosity of our Members in the form of uncashed Patronage Refund Checks. Now that the South End store is open, we anticipate the Co-op will experience several years of unprofitability, which is completely expected during times of expansion and is part of our plans. While we will not be issuing Patronage Refund checks during unprofitable years, we wanted to ensure the continuity of the Co-op Seedling Grant Program. For the next several years, the Co-op Seedling Grants Program will be funded through our Rally for Change program. The Grants Program will be the 40% Rally for Change partner for three separate months in FY 2018 and FY 2019 to fund this year's Seedling Grants Program.

When you choose to round up during the month of October, you are choosing to support local projects working to strengthen the food system through our Co-op Seedling Grants Program. Over the years, grant funding has been used to support the creation of farm to school programming at various locations, the construction of a fresh produce stand and mobile pantry trailer at the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, trail extension and kitchen construction at the Intervale Center, a job training program at Salvation Farms, and many other worthy projects. Thank you for rounding up this month and helping us support the work of the many incredible organizations in our community!

October's 10% Partner:

WARMTH

WARMTH is an emergency-based program that utilizes privately donated funds to help prevent low income households from going without heat during the winter season. This program helps thousands of people annually to keep warm.

The program, which has existed since 1986, helps to supplement the State’s Seasonal, Crisis Fuel Assistance and Additional Crisis Expenditure services. Community Action staff provides advocacy and financial assistance to households in need to help them resolve their home heating emergency.

“My gosh - I can't believe this is happening. I am still absorbing it. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is huge. My home. I can be warm in my home. This means the world to me.” – Program Participant                                                                      

About Rally for Change

In October 2014, City Market updated its program for collecting donations at the register! Previously, we selected a different non-profit each month and donated 5 cents for each bag our customers reused (our "Change for Local Non-Profits" program). Every register also included tear off coupons so customers could donate to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. In addition, each year in February we sold $1 Hearts for the Intervale Center and in September $1 Lunch Trays for Hunger Free Vermont, with all donations going to each respective organization. We've consolidated all of these programs into our new "Rally for Change" program which allows customers to "round up" their order at each register, each time they check-out at the Co-op.

In the name of education, opportunity, and streamlining how we do things here at the Co-op, we created a Rally for Change program! This program allows customers to “round up” their payment at the register (e.g., a $25.42 checkout could be rounded up to $26 for a $0.58 donation). The Co-op will then donate this “round up” change to a variety of local non-profits each month (so, not just one!) that are doing amazing work in our community. Want to round up to the nearest five or ten dollars? You can do that too! Each month, we’ll share who will be receiving the donations (in our newsletter, with store signage and through staff education).

With more than 4,000 transactions each day through our registers, we all have the opportunity to share what we think of as “small change” to rally for bigger community-wide change. This new Rally program will take the place of the “tear off” coupons we have at the registers and will also take the place of our Change for Local Non-Profits (or bag refunds) program.

Not to worry, a large percentage of each month’s donation will go to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf and we anticipate that this program will actually increase their donations. Through this new program, we will also continue to offer donations to local non-profits that are on the waiting list for our previous "Change for Local Non-Profits" bag refund program (and any new ones that we add to the list!). Here’s how the donation percentages will work out each month:

  • 50% to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, every month

  • 40% to an organization that aligns with the Co-op’s Global Ends 

  • 10% to a local non-profit that may not directly align so closely with our Global Ends, but still works to make our community a better place (much like the Change for Local Non-Profits Program)

This new program gives our cashiers and staff an opportunity to engage with our customers and together we’ll both support and learn more about the organizations that make our community a better place to live. We’re excited to give it a try and are interested to hear what you think!

Past Recipients

Do you run a local non-profit that aligns with our Global Ends?

Your organization can apply to become a Rally for Change 10% Partner. We are currently filling slots 4 years out (it's a popular program and our community has many amazing non-profits!). Visit our donations page to learn how to apply.