Whole Foods Market® is Focused on Spring Cleaning!

ST. LOUIS - Feb. 25, 2014 - PRLog -- Whole Foods Market^® is Focused on Spring Cleaning!

Used shoe donations turn cleaning into water.

WHAT:

Whole Foods Market is helping you clean out those closets and kick-start spring cleaning.  They have partnered up with Shoeman Water Projects to collect shoes, a St. Louis non-profit that turns shoes into water. Any type of shoes will be accepted, provided they do not have holes in them. 2013 efforts helped turn shoe donations into 5 water purification systems in Haiti, provided water education to the local communities, built a dam, and drilled a water well in Kenya.

WHEN:

March 1 – 31: Whole Foods Market – Town & Country

April 1 – 31: Whole Foods Market – Galleria

WHERE:

Whole Foods Market – Town & Country: 1160 Town & Country Crossing Dr., St. Louis, MO  63017

AND

Whole Foods Market – Galleria: 1601 S Brentwood Blvd, St Louis, MO 63144

WHO:

Shoeman Water Projects gathers donated shoes and exports them to street vendors in South America, Haiti, Kenya and other places where people need affordable shoes. The money received from exporting the shoes is used to purchase well drilling rigs, water purification systems, and other supplies to bring clean, fresh water to those who thirst.

WHY:

Shoeman Water Projects, a non-profit organization, works to provide affordable shoes to those without any, and clean water to those who thirst. According to The Environmental Protection Agency 21 billion pounds – about 70 pounds for each person on Earth – ends up in landfills each year. Since 2008, Shoeman Water Projects has kept an estimated 4 million lbs. of shoes out of landfills and provided clean water to more than 210,000 people around the world.

Visit the Shoeman Water Projects website to learn more about the organization at www.shoemanwater.org.

About Shoeman Water Projects

One pair of donated shoes serves two! One pair of shoes provides affordable shoes and clean, fresh water. Shoeman Water Projects is a project of Eagle Wings Ministries, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, working to alleviate as much human suffering as possible. Shoeman Water Projects picks up donated used and new shoes from businesses, churches, schools, special events and shoe drives. Once collected, the Shoeman exports the shoes to street vendors in South America, Haiti, Kenya and other places where people need affordable shoes. Shoe resale builds the local developing economy with retail businesses and affordable shoes.  The money the Shoeman receives from exporting the shoes is used to purchase well drilling rigs, water purification systems, and other supplies to bring clean, fresh water to those who thirst.  Additionally, groups and organizations planning mission trips have the opportunity to purchase a water purification system and receive training on water purification, health and hygiene that they can pass along to the people they serve.

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 78,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 15 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2013, the company had sales of $12.9 billion and currently has more than 360 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.