COTS to receive $20,000 gift from Whole Foods Market Detroit

DETROIT - Aug. 7, 2013 - PRLog -- DETROIT, MICHIGAN (August, 2013) – Coalition On Temporary Shelter (COTS), a local nonprofit homeless shelter and housing assistance service, is the first Detroit based non-profit agency to partner with Whole Foods Market for their Community Support Day initiative. All six Whole Foods Markets in Michigan rallied together to donate five percent of store purchases made on July 27^th to COTS.  On Thursday, August 8^th at 10:00 AM, Whole Foods will present the agency with a gift of $20,000 their Peterboro Headquarters and Emergency Shelter location.

“We are fortunate to have many generous community partners. Whole Foods has entered our neighborhood and makes it their responsibility to help,” said Trish Dewald, COTS’ Chief Development Officer.  “They are an excellent example of corporate citizenship.” Whole Foods will also hold a Talk & Taste with Chef Mood Ahmed immediately following the gift presentation.  Chef Mood will share healthy eating and healthy food preparation tips.  Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI), which is also a Whole Foods community partner, will distribute fresh produce to participants who attend the presentation. This event is open to the public.

Whole Foods Market opened its Detroit store on June 5^th and marketed its first Community Support Day initiative by way of an online vote on Facebook and a secondary vote in store.  COTS will direct this generous gift to continue to support provision of healthy meals for displaced men, women and children served by its programs.

About Whole Foods Market® - Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/), NASDAQ- WFM) is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America’s first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” by Health magazine. The company’s motto “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company’s more than 73,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 16 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2012, the company reported more than $11 billion in sales and currently has more than 340 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

About COTS (Coalition On Temporary Shelter) - Founded in 1982, Coalition On Temporary Shelter (COTS) is a private, non-profit organization that provides emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing, as well as comprehensive support services for more than 2,000 people in Detroit annually. COTS mission is to alleviate homelessness by providing an array of services which enable people to achieve self-sufficiency and obtain quality affordable housing. COTS also exists to advocate for long-term solutions to the problem of homelessness. For additional information or to support COTS initiatives, visit www.cotsdetroit.org.