Our Purpose is to protect and restore the environment. 

 

Here is what you’ve helped us achieve in 2020…

to non-profits that align with Our Purpose.

worth of food to local food banks.

Did you know that MOM’s stores donate unsold food to over 60 different local food banks, soup kitchens, and churches? This program is not only good for our community, but it also cuts down on food waste.

Top groups we donated to in 2020:

  • Capital Area Food Bank

  • Arlington Food Assistance Center 

  • Food Not Bombs

  • Community Food Rescue

  • Celestial Manna

  • Nourish Now

  • Compassion Center

Annual Alaffia Eyeglass Drive

Eyeglasses donated

Did you know- an eye exam costs as much as one month’s wage and a pair of eyeglasses can cost up to four months of wages in Togo, Africa? In partnership with Alaffia, your donated glasses have been sent to visually impared people in this region. A pair of eyeglasses is life-changing for a child struggling in school, the elderly with failing vision, and adults who have never been able to see clearly.

Removing Invasives and Providing Hunger Relief with Wide Net Project 

Everytime you buy Wide Net Project Catfish at MOM’s, we donate 2 portions to a hunger relief agency. Catfish is an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay, meaning this project is good for the community and the environment!

Total number of donated portions

Pounds of catfish removed from Chesapeake Bay

Total number of donated portions

Pounds of catfish removed from Chesapeake Bay

Hunger relief agencies donated to:

  • Manna Food Center
  • Bread for the City
  • Indian Cultural Association
  • Bethel Korean Presbertarian Church
  • Saint Stephen Baptist Church
  • Fort Washington Food Pantry
  • Holy Mountain Ministries
  • Antioch Baptist Church of Clinton

Keeping Electronics out of the Landfill:

Phones are donated to Secure the Call to help COVID patients connect with loved ones!

Phones

Tablets

Phones

Tablets

We Recycled:

Tons of Batteries

Tons of shoes

Lbs of Holiday Lights

Tons of Comingled Recycling

Tons of Compost

MOM’s Alexandria Purple Bin

Lbs of glass recycled

The Purple Glass Bin Project in Alexandria, VA is a part of a regional partnership with Fairfax County to improve the recyclability of glass. Glass collected is sent to a Fairfax County facility where it is processed and then recycled into new glass, as well as crushed into sand and gravel then used locally for public works projects. Thank you to our partners from Alexandria Government and our team members who made this project possible.

MOM's Recycle Center

Oyster Recovery Project

We collected 2,225 shells in 2020– that’s enough to provide a home for 22,500 spat (baby oysters) to grow.

Oyster shells are the best material to raise new oysters and restore oyster reefs. To save this ecologically important by-product from ending up in a landfill, we partnered with Oyster Recovery Partnership for year round Oyster Shell recycling.

Learn More 

We Partnered With:

environmental non-profits and environmental groups

Oyster Recovery Project

View their 2020 Annual Report

Potomac Conservancy:

2020 Potomac River Report Card and Potomac Conservancy Annual Report

Healthy Harbors/Mr. Trash Wheel:

View their 2020 Report Card

Chesapeake Climate Action Network:

We supported the Keep Winter Cold Polar Bear Plunge for the 3rd consecutive year! CCAN is a mover and shaker in the DC/MD/VA area- with a mission to fight global warming.

Clean Air Council:

MOM’s support of the 2020 Run for Clean Air helped CAC turn Philly’s largest Earth Day celebration entirely virtual for the first year ever, allowing more than 600 runners to safely continue the 39-year tradition in the midst of a global pandemic. The event as a whole raised nearly $60,000 to support Clean Air Council’s work.

Clean Air Council:

MOM’s support of the 2020 Run for Clean Air helped CAC turn Philly’s largest Earth Day celebration entirely virtual for the first year ever, allowing more than 600 runners to safely continue the 39-year tradition in the midst of a global pandemic. The event as a whole raised nearly $60,000 to support Clean Air Council’s work.

Delaware RiverKeeper Network:

In September, MOM’s Abington, PA opened its doors to the community! During opening week, 5% of sales went to Delaware RiverKeeper Network– a group whose work is crucial to protecting and restoring our local waterways. This non-profit organizes community litter clean-ups, supports the growth of native species, hosts informative events about watershed protection, and more.

We Advocated for:

MOM’s has been powered by 100% renewable energy since 2005!

We support renewable energy projects by purchasing Wind Power Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to offset ~75% of our company’s electrical usage (the rest is generated through MOM’s solar projects). In 2020, MOM’s purchased 8,600 Wind RECs. This amount of green power is enough to power:

Homes used electricity for a year

miles driven by electric car

Homes used electricity for a year

miles driven by electric car

Our 265-kilowatt solar rooftop at College Park MOM’s went live in March 2020, producing 45% of the store’s energy needs! Our Abington, PA location will also feature a new 300-kilowatt solar rooftop! Did you know that our Waldorf and White Marsh stores have solar rooftops AND we have a 1.5-megawatt solar farm in Kingsville, MD?

Carbon Offsets

  • We offset 43,964,015 miles to make our customers’ trips to and from MOM’s stores carbon neutral!

 

  • Carbon sequestered by the planting of 258,049 tree seedlings and growing them for 10 years.

Metric tons of CO2 Offset:

Equivalent to:

Environmental Restoration in our stores

bags credits were given each day at MOM's in 2020!

total disposable bags avoided by our customers in 2020

given back to customers in bag credits in 2020!

MOM’s Annual We Love Inflation Campaign

Inflated Tires

Community Supported Agriculture

MOM’s support local organic farming.  In 2020, we partnered with seven small farmers and served as a drop off location for their CSA programs.

Learn more

Community Supported Agriculture

MOM’s support local organic farming.  In 2020, we partnered with seven small farmers and served as a drop off location for their CSA programs.

Learn more

Sustainable Seafood

We banned unrated sardines and became the only grocery store in the US to offer 100% sustainable seafood*, right down to the canned tuna!

*We follow the recommendations of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program

Launched True Chesapeake Oyster Program

True Chesapeake raises their own oysters instead of harvesting from delicate wild populations. The farm serves as an important habitat for native Chesapeake bay species such as rockfish, oyster toadfish, bryozoans, and blue crabs.

Launched True Chesapeake Oyster Program

True Chesapeake raises their own oysters instead of harvesting from delicate wild populations. The farm serves as an important habitat for native Chesapeake bay species such as rockfish, oyster toadfish, bryozoans, and blue crabs.

We Added:

plastic-free/zero-waste Body care products in 2020

Equal Exchange Avocados:

In 2020, MOM’s customers purchased 642,088 organic Equal Exchange avocados– resulting in $550,170 paid to small scale farmer co-ops in Michoacán, Mexico and an additional $18,171 paid into a funds for:

 

  • Distribution of pine seedlings to area farms
  • Collaborative reforestation projects
  • Forest Fire prevention

Equal Exchange Bananas:

In 2020, MOM’s customers purchased 3,872,880 organic Equal Exchange bananas– resulting in $618,208 paid to 1,416 small scale co-op farmers and an additional $48,411 paid into a funds for:

 

  • Pandemic relief and prevention
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Hygiene stations and healthcare support

Equal Exchange Bananas:

In 2020, MOM’s customers purchased 3,872,880 organic Equal Exchange bananas– resulting in $618,208 paid to 1,416 small scale co-op farmers and an additional $48,411 paid into a funds for:

 

  • Pandemic relief and prevention
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Hygiene stations and healthcare support

Vendor Sustainability Shoutouts

We’re all in this together. Here’s how our vendors are helping us fulfill Our Purpose: to protect and restore the environment.