Davis, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/29/2016 --Shop Wednesday, April 6th at any Whole Foods Market Northern California & Reno (WFMNC) store and five percent of your purchase will support bringing fresh produce grown by local family farmers to a school in your community. This helps support local family farmers, while providing fresh and nutritious food in school cafeterias.

The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is a California nonprofit organization that builds sustainable food and farming systems through policy advocacy and on-the-ground programs. WFMNC stores will donate five percent of sales on April 6th to support CAFF's Farm to School program. This program connects students and their schools to local farming communities in both the classroom and in the cafeteria. The Farm to School initiative not only brings local food into schools, but also builds institutionalized systems changes from within by working directly with school staff on such things as purchasing collaboratives and policies.

"CAFF has been working with family farmers to generate change and build better food and farming systems for nearly 40 years, and this contribution from Whole Foods Market Northern California & Reno will help us help California farmers who, despite the increased public interest in buying more healthy food, need help to continue to survive economically," said Diane Del Signore, executive director at CAFF. "We help farmers in two major ways: by creating and changing state and national legislation, and by providing Farmer Services, working directly with growers and buyers to create pragmatic solutions to help them get access to new markets and improve their growing practices. We are grateful to Whole Foods for the important role they are playing in helping us achieve our mission in our shared communities."

CAFF advocates for family farmers and sustainable agriculture, and by connecting farmers to schools and other organizations, the nonprofit helps growers coordinate their product with buyers, ensuring that supply and demand grow together. Through its initiatives like the Farm to School program, CAFF is increasing access to and awareness around eating healthy and local while also strengthening family farms -- the cornerstone of healthy and economically viable communities.

"CAFF's Farm to School program leads the way in the institutionalization of local, healthy food," said Angela Lorenzen, vice president of operations for Whole Foods Market Northern California & Reno. "Kids bring home what they learn in school, so exposing them to local produce at school can lead to big changes in how the family shops and eats. Plus, this helps connect the families behind the food to the families who gather around it. We're proud to join CAFF at that intersection."

For more information, and to find your nearest store, please visit: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

To learn more about CAFF and its Farm to School program, please visit: http://www.caff.org/

About Whole Foods Market®
Founded in 1978 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com), 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 85,000 team members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine for 19 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2015, the company had sales of more than $15.4 billion and currently has more than 435 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

For more company news and information, please visit media.wfm.com.

About Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Founded in 1978, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is a California-based nonprofit that builds sustainable food and farming systems through local and statewide policy advocacy and on-the-ground programs in an effort to initiate institutionalized change. CAFF's programs address current problems and challenges in food and farming systems, creating more resilient family farms, communities and ecosystems. CAFF works to support family farmers and serves community members within the state, including consumers, food service directors, schoolchildren and low-income populations.

For more information, please visit: http://www.caff.org/

Contacts:
Diane Del Signore or Megan Sabato
info@caff.org
530-756-8518

Kristi Lane
kristi@shevrushpr.com
785-393-2261