Local food market to donate $6K to charities

OCEAN TOWNSHIP — Dean Nelson, owner of Dean's Natural Food Markets in Ocean Township and Shrewsbury, is donating over $6,000 to various local charities.

Nelson will contribute $2,500 to the Monmouth County SPCA, $2,000 to the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties and $2,000 to the Emmanuel Cancer Foundation.

Since its establishment, Nelson's beneficial program Dean's List has donated over $20,000 to local nonprofit organizations. During the fiscal year of 2008, donations from the Dean's List have surpassed $10,600, according to a release from Dean's Natural Food Market.

Nelson's commitment toward providing options for a healthy lifestyle goes hand in hand with his efforts to support local nonprofit charities, according to the release.

"Raising awareness of the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle must not stop with ourselves, but should extend out to our community," Nelson said. "In an effort to better our community, I have created a customer loyalty program that allows us to lend a hand to local nonprofit organizations.

"Simply by joining the Dean's List at no cost, a customer can join me in reaching out to these charities that I feel so lucky to be able to support," he added.

Signing up for Nelson's Customer Advantage Program for free grants will give a $10 reward per customer for every $250 spent. Additionally, by joining the Dean's List, the customer has the option to receive $9 back. The remaining $1 is then matched by Nelson himself, and $2 are donated to charity. A single customer's purchases can benefit one of Nelson's supported charities every six months.

Consisting of nearly 5,000 members, the Dean's List has enabled Nelson to support the organizations of which he is most passionate. While Nelson's Customer Advantage Programcontains nearly 33,000 customers, only about 15 percent are enrolled in the Dean's List. The program is growing daily, as more and more customers sign up and are urged to participate, ultimately and indirectly supporting the charities.

Dean's Natural Food Market was founded in 1996 by Dean Nelson and wife Loretta in Ocean Township. Nearly five years later, Nelson opened a second store in Shrewsbury, expanding his passion to educate and provide answers to the public regarding healthy lifestyles, according to the release.

The stores consist of organic fruits and vegetables, organic meat, vegan and glutenfree products, a wide variety of vitamins, as well as a fresh juice bar. In the spring, the Ocean Township store will be expanded to include a section of prepared foods, baked goods, sandwiches made to order and a juice bar.

The mission of the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties is to provide food for as many needy people as possible in the two counties. It collects donated and surplus food in its warehouse and distributes it to charities serving families in need, and also runs several programs that address the root causes of hunger.

The mission of the Emmanuel Cancer Foundation is to preserve the quality of life for any New Jersey family whose child has been diagnosed with cancer. It accomplishes that mission through its three pillars of support: emotional counseling, material support and extreme need of financial support.

The Monmouth County SPCA (MCSPCA) not only finds homes for stray dogs and cats, but also those family pets that can no longer be cared for by their owners. The MCSPCA is committed to preventing cruelty to animals.

For more information on the donations, as well as previous donations, contact Dean Nelson at 732-517-1515, or e-mail comments and questions to dean@deansnaturalfoodmarket. com.