WATERBURY, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To incite communities across the country to create gathering places where people can meet, linger, chat, and celebrate, Tully’s Coffee® and the non-profit Pomegranate Center are unveiling the “Taste of Community” program, a multi-faceted, philanthropic effort.
Pomegranate Center has found that most modern U.S. communities lack town squares, commons, or central gathering places, despite numerous studies demonstrating that these public places are vital to community health. The Taste of Community program promotes community space development and revitalization through a Facebook contest, five community improvement project grants, a how-to toolkit, and a limited edition blend of coffee, all to help people create gathering places in their own communities.
“Tully’s Coffee is thrilled to launch the Taste of Community program and engage people around the community spaces revitalization movement,” said Karen Yacos, Director of Domestic Community Outreach, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. “We believe coffee is an inherently communal experience, and our goal through this program, and our alliance with Pomegranate Center, is to help people in communities gather together, make personal connections and, ultimately, improve the health and quality of life of the places we call home.”
Share Your Community Story
This summer, Tully’s is rallying community members across the country to share the unique places and stories that make their community special through the Taste of Community contest. One community will be awarded a 2012 grant valued at up to $100,000 in services and equipment from Pomegranate Center, funded by Tully’s, to plan, design and build a social gathering place.
Now through August 31, 2011, Americans are encouraged to visit Tully’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TullysCoffee) to enter the contest by submitting a short essay and photo about what makes their community special and how a gathering place would help transform their community. A judging panel, including representatives from Tully’s and Pomegranate Center, will review each entry based on:
- Creativity, originality and thoughtfulness
- Benefit to entire neighborhood/community (not just a segment or affinity group), and
- Need for a new community gathering place.
Ten contest finalists will receive a Keurig® Brewer and supply of Tully’s K-Cup® portion packs. In addition, Tully’s is giving the first 500 Taste of Community contest entrants two free bags of coffee, including a bag of Tully’s Community Spaces Blend, a limited edition offering. A tribute to roasting expertise, this blend perfectly melds nutty citrus and spice flavors in a rich, full cup. Bags of Community Spaces Blend will also be distributed among volunteers from the grant project communities.
Strengthening Neighborhoods: Community Builds and Resources
In addition to the Taste of Community contest grant, Tully’s kicked off the transformative movement in the greater Seattle area in 2011 by funding grants awarded by Pomegranate Center to four communities to revitalize public gathering spaces, including: Hunter Farm Gathering Place (Wedgwood, Wash.), Mercer Island Library Discovery Trail (Mercer Island, Wash.), Sumner Alley Gathering Space (Sumner, Wash.), and 132nd Square Park Gathering Place (Kirkland, Wash.). The four community space projects are currently in development with the help and engagement of community volunteers and staff from Pomegranate Center.
Project builds like those in the Seattle area engage community members and can help strengthen community pride. According to a three-year Gallup study completed in 2010, peoples’ love and passion for their community may also be a leading indicator for local economic growth.
“The future of our communities relies heavily on our ability to work together to find the best solutions and to use resources wisely,” said Milenko Matanovic, Executive Director of Pomegranate Center. “Working with Tully's Coffee is a great opportunity to expand our resources and engage the public in this important community building initiative.”
To further encourage engagement across the country, Pomegranate Center, along with Tully’s, has developed an online toolkit and resource guide to get people started with community building in their own neighborhoods. The kit is designed to help inspire and provide direction to communities interested in taking action locally with their own community projects. For more information about the Taste of Community program, to enter the contest, or to download the toolkit, visit the Tully’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TullysCoffee). Additional information can also be found by visiting Tullys.com and PomegranateCenter.org.
About Pomegranate Center
Pomegranate Center brings people together to build better communities. It is an internationally recognized leader in creating neighborhood gathering places and is an award-winning nonprofit devoted to community-generated design and development. Founded 25 years ago by artist and community organizer Milenko Matanovic, today Pomegranate Center builds places, communities and leaders throughout Pacific Northwest and across the country. Pomegranate Center works with communities of all sizes to help prepare for the future. For more information, please visit www.pomegranatecenter.org.
About Tully’s Coffee
Tully’s Coffee® is part of the family of brands within the Specialty Coffee business unit of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. Established in Seattle, Wash., Tully’s is known and valued for its slow roasting approach, and rich, full coffee flavor. Tully’s® coffees are available in bags and K-Cup® portion packs for the Keurig® Single-Cup Brewing System in supermarkets and specialty stores on the West Coast and nationwide. For more information, please visit www.tullysworthdiscovering.com.
About Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR)
As a leader in specialty coffee and coffee makers, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) is recognized for its award-winning coffees, innovative brewing technology, and socially responsible business practices. GMCR supports local and global communities by offsetting 100% of its direct greenhouse gas emissions, investing in sustainably-grown coffee, and allocating at least five percent of its pre-tax profits to socially and environmentally responsible initiatives.
GMCR routinely posts information that may be of importance to investors in the Investor Relations section of its website, including news releases and its complete financial statements, as filed with the SEC. The Company encourages investors to consult this section of its website regularly for important information and news. Additionally, by subscribing to the Company’s automatic email news release delivery, individuals can receive news directly from GMCR as it is released.
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