PCC and Seattle Children's partner to help local families

(Seattle, Wash., April 15, 2010) PCC Natural Markets (PCC) and Seattle Children’s Hospital have joined forces to help local families in need. Starting May 1 and running through June 15, PCC will donate 5% of “Kid Picks” product sales, up to a total of $10,000, to support Seattle Children’s as part of the “Families Helping Families” program.

To be a PCC Kid Pick, a product must be approved by two-thirds of the thirty plus child “judges” who test it during tastings on the Kid Picks Mobile conducted at PCC stores, community events and schools.

“The goal of the PCC Kid Picks program is to help shoppers find healthy and popular food choices that their families will like,” said Sara Walsh, PCC’s Community Relations Manager. All 2,000 Kid Picks products are flagged in PCC stores with bright orange signs touting them as “Kid-tested and approved products,” and are also listed in a product database at pcckidpicks.com.

Also in May, PCC will host a series of free family nutrition classes to help parents provide the meals and snacks their children need to be strong and healthy. Participants will try food samples, take part in hands-on activities and leave with information to help make healthy choices to feed the whole family. The PCC Kid Picks Mobile will also be on site taste testing a variety of foods.

Healthy Food, Healthy Family – free nutrition classes

• Saturday, May 1 at the Issaquah PCC
• Saturday, May 8 at the Redmond PCC
• Saturday, May 15 at the West Seattle PCC
• Sunday, May 16 at the Greenlake PCC
• Sunday, May 23 at the Edmonds PCC

There will be two separate classes held on each date at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

“These nutrition classes will offer parents guidance on how to establish healthy eating habits with their children,” said Leika Suzumura, PCC nutrition educator. “Eating right starts at home, so it’s very important for families to understand basic nutrition and the benefits of their healthy choices.”

About PCC Natural Markets: Headquartered in Seattle, WA, PCC Natural Markets is a certified organic retailer, with annual sales of $140 million and an active membership of nearly 45,000. PCC operates nine locations in the Fremont, View Ridge, Greenlake, West Seattle, Seward Park, Kirkland, Issaquah, Redmond and Edmonds neighborhoods. www.pccnaturalmarkets.com

About Seattle Children’s: Consistently ranked as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s serves as the pediatric and adolescent academic medical referral center for the largest landmass of any children’s hospital in the country (Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho). For more than 100 years, Children’s has been delivering superior patient care and advancing new treatments through pediatric research. Children’s serves as the primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The hospital works in partnership with Seattle Children’s Research Institute and Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation. www.seattlechildrens.org.

Media contact

Tom Monahan, Marketing Manager

PCC Natural Markets

Email

206-547-1222, ext. 189