Retailers keep charity in mind - Houston Chronicle
3/3/13 9:40 PM
Retailers keep charity in mind
Business owners take pride in making a profit and giving back to the community at the same time
By David Kaplan | February 19, 2013
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When Allison Young and Ivan Chavez were planning their Rice Village crepe cafe Sweet Paris, they
imagined doing more than turning a profit, Young recalled. They wanted community giving to be
part of the business model.
They had been inspired by retailers like Toms, which donates a pair of shoes to a child in a
developing country for every pair it sells.
So, Sweet Paris, which opened in May, donates a meal to a child in need every time customers buy
one of its more popular crepe dishes, Young said. The children's meal program is run by World
Food Program USA.
Many other retailers, including Macy's, H-E-B, Mattress Firm, Kroger and Saint Arnold, have joined
forces with their customers to support a variety of causes.
Creating a retailer-customer partnership to benefit a charity is a wise strategy for a retailer, said
Betsy Gelb, professor of marketing at the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.
Don Gerstenberger of the Bunker Hill H-E-B organizes school supplies during
H-E-B's Operation Backpack​. Photo: Thomas B. Shea / © 2012 Thomas B.
Shea
"Consumers will say, 'OK, now I have another reason to shop here,' and they'll feel extra good
about spending money," Gelb said, "and that's how retailers want customers to feel.
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"I don't think that the community-related cause in itself will drive people to the store, but it can help," she said.
Macy's partners with its customers to help charities on multiple fronts, company spokeswoman Melissa Goff said.
Through its summer season Be Book Smart campaign, for example, Macy's and its customers have raised $25.8 million since 2004 for Reading Is Fundamental, a
program that provides books for children in poverty. When Macy's customers give $3 to Be Book Smart, they get $10 off a $50 purchase.
And as part of its Believe campaign during the Christmas season, Macy's donates $1 to the Make-A-Wish foundation for every letter to Santa mailed in a Macy's store.
Last year the effort raised $1 million, Goff said.
Through its cause-related programs, Macy's donated more than $60 million last year, she said.
Academy Sports, another large Houston area retailer, funnels some of their funds to local schools, leagues and other youth focused groups.
At Houston's Saint Arnold brewery, the company crafts charitable events to fit the company culture, and they typically involve customers having fun, said Lennie
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Retailers keep charity in mind - Houston Chronicle
3/3/13 9:40 PM
Ambrose, the marketing and events director.
Saint Arnold hosts one of the largest MS 150 bike teams with about 400 riders, he noted. Each rider must raise at least $400 to join the team.
The brewery hosts an annual Feast of Saint Arnold to support Texas Children's Hospital, as well as a One Pot Showdown, a cooking contest benefiting food-related
charities.
Saint Arnold also bottles an "Elissa IPA" beverage with portions of sales going to the upkeep of the tall ship Elissa in Galveston.
Kroger offers charitable programs year-round, said Joy Partain, the company's consumer affairs manager, who noted that Forbes named Kroger the most generous
company in America.
Every day, customers can purchase and donate pre-packaged meals as part of the Red Barrel program benefiting the Houston Food Bank, Partain said. And using their
Kroger Plus card, customers can donate to one of many Houston-area nonprofits each time they shop.
Kroger also has programs in spring and summer that allow shoppers to support Texas Children's Hospital and other causes.
Mattress Firm has selected pancreatic cancer research as its charitable cause of choice. The retailer has several initiatives during the year, including recent Serta, Sealy
and Lux Living Pillow promotion that netted a $75,000 donation for research and awareness.
H-E-B partners with customers for its Help End Hunger program, which raised $444,500 statewide for 15 Texas food banks last year. Customers grab tearoff coupons at
checkout stands to add their Help End Hunger donation to their bill.
The stores' Operation Backpack is a partnership with YMCA of Greater Houston, and last year customers donated $148,0000 worth of pre-packaged school supplies and
an additional $77,000 in tearoff pads, which the grocer used to buy more supplies.
H-E-B's commitment to the community "is an important part of the way we do business," said Cyndy Garza Roberts, the company's director of public affairs, Houston
region.
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