Local environmental groups benefit from Cherry Republic’s “31 Days of Giving”

The Leelanau Conservancy is among the recipients of the “31 Days of Giving” campaign this month. Photo by Ken Scott.

From staff reports

Glen Arbor business marks fifth year of holiday philanthropic campaign with $200,000 goal

The Leelanau Conservancy, For Love of Water and the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail are three of more than 50 grant recipients that will be named throughout the month of December in what has become a much-anticipated philanthropic drive to protect Michigan’s environment and farmland.

Cherry Republic kicked off its “31 Days of Giving” by announcing grants of $12,000 to the Leelanau Conservancy, $6,500 to For Love of Water (FLOW), and $5,000 to the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The company’s 2017 annual holiday campaign — now in its fifth year — will ultimately include approximately $200,000 in grants to local organizations working to safeguard the Great Lakes, protect the environment, and support local farmers.

Liz Rosan Kirkwood, FLOW executive director, explains that private grants “allow nonprofits to launch new programs and forge deep relationships — an intangible that’s often not funded, but very critical to nonprofit work. It’s refreshing to see a company that’s so engaged and focused on what matters most — the Great Lakes,” Kirkwood adds. “Robust partnerships are critical to what we do at FLOW. Our resources are limited, and the complexity of problems are vast. We are so proud to partner with Cherry Republic, which has been a pioneer in working to protect the Great Lakes.”

Since the company’s inception in 1989, Cherry Republic has donated more than $2 million to nonprofits whose ideologies match the specialty food company’s green vision and values. Cherry Republic president Bob Sutherland, a lifelong Northern Michigan resident, has long touted the importance of environmental conservation and for the first time is asking the nonprofits he partners with to work towards the use of 100 percent renewable energy in their organizations within the next 5 years. Currently Cherry Republic is 100 percent powered from wind energy through the purchase of carbon offsets, and its goal is to be powered entirely by local renewable energy sources by 2022.

“It feels great to support these organizations that are doing such important work to protect our environment,” Sutherland says of the 31 Days of Giving campaign. “I truly believe that Cherry Republic’s success lies in large part to the natural beauty that surrounds us and the Great Lakes that draw people to our beautiful state. It’s vitally important to make sure that those resources are protected for generations to come. If we can help in some small way, that will be our greatest accomplishment.”

The first three grants of 2017’s ‘31 Days of Giving’ campaign include:

For Love of Water (FLOW)- $6,500

FLOW’s focus is protecting citizens’ legal right to use the Great Lakes Basin’s common waters for drinking, fishing, swimming, recreation, navigation and the like. It also holds state governments accountable for ensuring these waters and public uses are protected for current and future generations. FLOW continues the fight to decommission Line 5 and prevent a catastrophic oil spill in the Mackinac Straits. FLOW is also deeply committed to getting their energy footprint powered by 100% local renewable energy.

Leelanau Conservancy – $12,000

Cherry Republic has donated to the Leelanau Conservancy for 26 years. $3,000 of this represents the second part of a three-year pledge to fund the purchase of Palmer Woods. $3,000 is a contribution toward the construction of multi-use single track trails within the Palmer Woods park. $6,000 goes toward the Leelanau Conservancy’s Farmland Programs. The Leelanau Conservancy offices have a large solar array that reduces their carbon footprint.

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail – $5,000

The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is a hard-surfaced, non-motorized, multi-use trail planned to span 27 miles from the northern end of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to the south of Empire. Currently the trail runs almost 22 miles. This donation puts Cherry Republic total gifts to the trail at $95,000.

To track the ‘31 Days of Giving’ daily grant announcements throughout the month of December, click here.