The Whole Grains Giveaway (Member Info)
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As part of our celebration of Whole Grains Month in September 2008, the Whole Grains Council is organizing the Whole Grains Giveaway.
How it works
We're asking each and every one of our members to donate some amount of whole grain products to a worthy charity of their choice during the months of September and October. Here are just a few ideas:
Adopt a local day care center and supply them with bread for a week, or a month, or two months
Organize a spaghetti supper at your local homeless shelter, and donate whole grain pasta
Supply your entire school district with free "tasting samples" of your best products
Balance your inventory, and donate the extras to your local food pantry.
Give a little, give a lot. The amount will vary from company to company, but we're aiming for 100% participation from ALL of our WGC members, whether you can give a box of breakfast bars, a pallet of pasta, or a truckload of tortillas.
Tell us your plan – sooner is better
When you know your Giveaway Plan, email Kara Berrini with the specifics. We need to know:
What product(s) you're giving away.
How many pounds total you're donating.
To whom you're donating these whole grain products.
Where your office(s) and plant(s) are located.
Whole Grains Giveaway FAQ
Q. Why has the WGC organized the Whole Grains Giveaway?
A. All too often healthy food is seen as an elite privilege for the well-to-do. We want to make sure that all socio-economic groups get access to healthy food, including whole grains. We hope that some of the charitable partnerships formed during Whole Grains Month will continue once the Giveaway is over.
Q. Why do you need to know our plan now, when it's still months until September?
A. Because we're going to start promoting the Whole Grains Giveaway in the media as soon as the total pounds pledged starts to reach an impressive number. Companies that tell us their plans sooner will get more media value out of their charitable donation.
Q. Are you going to make the amount I donate public?
A. No. That amount will only be used in our super secret spreadsheet where we track the total of pounds donated. The goal is most pointedly not a comparison of one company to another, but rather a celebration of what we can achieve when we all work together.
Q. So what ARE you going to tell the public and the media?
A. We are posting a list in the Newsroom section of our website with the total pounds donated to date, and with entries like this:
| Company | Donation |
| XYZ Bakery | XYZ Bakery, headquartered in New York City and with plants in Boston, Chicago will give loaves of Savory Sorghum Bread to the Roxbury (MA) Headstart Program. |
Q. Why do you want to know where we have offices or plants?
A. Because we will be encouraging the media to include local angles. In the example above, the Chicago Tribune might do a story on the Whole Grains Giveaway generally, then add an extra paragraph on XYZ Bakery to give their story local interest.
Q. When will you announce the grand total?
A. The grand total of tons of whole grains donated will be announced in early November, 2008, as America looks forward to Thanksgiving. It's a great time to be mindful of the blessing of having plenty of healthy food.
