Hendersonville Community Co-op BYOBag Program Makes Donation to MountainTrue

The Hendersonville Community Co-op donated $275 through its BYOBag program to MountainTrue, a WNC-region-wide environmental and conservation nonprofit. The check was presented by Gretchen Schott Cummins, Hendersonville Communtity Co-op’s Community Outreach Coordinator to Gray Jernigan, MountainTrue Southern Regional Director in the company of MountainTrue’s Bag Monster, the mascot of MountainTrue’s recycling and waste management program.

Gretchen Schott Cummins, Hendersonville Communtity Co-op’s Community Outreach Coordinator; Bag Monster, the mascot of MountainTrue’s recycling and waste management program, and Gray Jernigan, MountainTrue Southern Regional Director. Download photo.

Through the BYOBag program, money is raised by the member-owners and shoppers at the Hendersonville Community Co-op. Each time a shopper brings their own bag for their groceries, they are saving the Co-op an expense and helping to reduce, re-use and recycle. The Co-op hands the shopper a wooden chip which they then deposit into the box representing the non-profit organization of their choice. The Hendersonville Community Co-op then passes on the savings to recipients like MountainTrue in the form of a financial donation.

“When our member-owners and shoppers bring their own bags, they are doing their part for the environment and they get a chance to make a donation, 10 cents at a time, to a worthy cause like MountainTrue,” says Gretchen Schott Cummins, Hendersonville Communtiy Co-op’s Community Outreach Coordinator. “Each token represents one less bag that needs to be produced from raw materials, and one less bag that ends up in a landfill.”

“We’re happy to accept this check not only because we plan on putting the money to good use, but because we are proud to know that it represents 2,750 people who cast their vote of confidence in the mission of MountainTrue by putting their chip in our box,” says Gray Jernigan, MountainTrue Southern Regional Director. “We sincerely appreciate everything that the Co-op does for the environment and our local community.”

MountainTrue shares the co-op’s commitment to waste-reduction. It’s Recycling and Solid Waste Committee promotes city, county and regional recycling including curb-side pick-up, and advocacy towards improved reduce, reuse, and recycling programs. The committee educates the public and policymakers about best practices by speaking at Commission meetings, writing letters to the editor, holding public forums, contacting school and businesses, and organizing eco-tours. The committee also coordinates with the county recycling of Christmas trees into mulch in early January. Residents interested in joining the committee are encouraged to stop by the MountainTrue Sourthern Regional Office at 611 N. Church Street in Hendersonville for its regular meetings on the third Wednesday of every month at 4:30 p.m..