COD joins in 'One Dime at a Time' fundraiser

College of DuPage has been selected to participate in the Whole Foods Market's “One Dime at a Time” fundraiser from July 1 through Sept. 30 at the Wheaton store, 151 Rice Lake Square.

Currently, Whole Foods Market gives 10 cents per bag to customers who bring in their own shopping sacks to purchase groceries. The One Dime at a Time program gives customers the choice to accept their cash refund or donate it back to the store's chosen non-profit company.

“The One Dime at a Time program reduces our impact on the environment through bag recycling and also supports non-profit organizations who are aligned with our mission of sustainability,” said Carrie McKenzie-Bush, Whole Foods Marketing and Community Relations Specialist for the Wheaton store. “College of DuPage's new educational rooftop garden is a great fit for this program.”

Proceeds from One Dime at a Time will assist COD with the upkeep of its first-ever 450 square-foot sustainable rooftop garden, located at the terrace level of the new Culinary & Hospitality Center. The organic herbs, lettuces and vegetables grown in the garden will be used by students in the College's Culinary Arts program.

In addition, the new 60,000 square-foot Culinary & Hospitality Center at COD will be the first LEED-certified building of its kind in the United States when it opens this summer.

“We're very pleased that Whole Foods Market in Wheaton selected us to participate in this summer's One Dime at a Time program,” said Tom Simandl, Development Manager at COD. “This is a perfect match. We're hoping in time to expand our operation to several rooftop gardens. In fact, teaching about sustainability in the culinary and hospitality industries is the focus of one of our newest courses.”

For more information about the Culinary and Hospitality Management program at College of DuPage, visit: home.cod.edu/academics/programsDegrees/hospitalityAdmin.

To learn more about Whole Foods Market in Wheaton, including upcoming events and promotions, visit http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/wheaton.