Health food store to aid homeless

Ben Godar

Shoppers at Whole Foods Market Glendale have donated $4,000 to help

the homeless and store officials will soon present the money to a

local shelter.

At each checkout lane, customers had the opportunity to scan cards

representing a $1, $3 or $5 donation. Once the money was collected,

store officials sought a local group working to combat hunger and

homelessness.

“We’re very excited to be doing something like this,” Whole Foods

spokeswoman Becky Feliciano said. “It makes us feel like we’re part

of the community, and that’s one of our values as a company.”

The money raised will be donated to Project ACHIEVE, a local arm

of the Institute of Urban Research and Development that seeks to

provide a one-stop location for all the services needed by the

homeless community.

“This means a lot to us, because we’re always scrambling for

funding,” spokesman Bert Parras said.

Project ACHIEVE, 437 Fernando Court, has specific funding needs in

it’s health-care program, Parras said. The orga- nization, which

serves 550 people per month, also provides a 40-bed shelter, hot

meals and services such as drug counseling.

“We’re trying to end he cycle of homelessness for them,” Parras

said.

The fund-raising drive was part of a national effort by Whole

Foods Market which raised more than $50,000, company officials said.