Local grocery chain Price Mart has donated a check worth nearly $7,000 to Caring Community Friends, as part of a program to support the local food bank that began over the holiday season last year.
Charlie McBride, the General Manager for Sapulpa’s Price Mart, said the fundraiser was a continuation of what Price Mart has done for several years at other locations, but they decided to make changes on how they approached customers this year.
“Previously, we’ve asked customers and employees, ‘can you donate ten dollars,’ or something like that,” he told Sapulpa Times at the check presentation on Wednesday morning. “This time, we just said ‘whatever you can afford to give. Round up to the next dollar, if you want to.’”
McBride said the new tactic worked better than they were expecting. “We actually raised more money this year, after giving them the option to donate whatever they could, than we did when we set certain amounts,” he said.
The community that shops that grocery store became very supportive when they found out the money was being raised for Caring Community Friends. “When they found out who it was for, some people started coming in multiple times a day, just to give to that fund,” McBride said.
Dr. Camille Teale, Director for Caring Community Friends, said that it’s especially meaningful that the money was raised “by the community, for the community.” She calls Price Mart “incredible community partners,” and said it’s not the first time the food bank has been helped by the grocery chain. “In 2021, Price Mart donated $17,500 worth of food through the Retail Food Donation program. We are so thankful for the incredible generosity of everyone who donated!”
Price Mart, the grocery store formerly known as Warehouse Market, has been working hard at getting more involved in the community since transitioning its name in September of 2020. This particular fundraiser ran from the week before Thanksgiving to the week of Christmas, but it’s not the only holiday event they were involved in.
“We did the Jingle Bells last year,” McBride said. “It was a great promotion. People loved it, they came in to get their tickets, and they spent a lot of money to get them.” McBride says he’s looking forward to Price Mart continuing to be involved in even more community events in the future.
