PCC Natural Markets, which began as a food-buying club for 15 families in 1953, is now the largest customer-owned food co-op in the country with nine locations throughout Washington State and nearly 40,000 members. Nonetheless, this growth has not affected PCC’s dedication to the community, both at home and abroad.

For example, the Food Bank Program, created in 1988, donates between 4,000 and 5,000 pounds of food per month to nine food bank partners, says Tom Monahan, marketing manager. “Unlike other programs,” he adds, “100 percent of shoppers’ donations are used to purchase food.” Volunteers then repackage the bulk foods into single-serve sizes. With more than 200 volunteers in 2008 and $77,107 in shopper donations, 69,601 pounds of food were purchased, equaling 940,026 servings.

The program is funded by individual donations and PCC’s Think Reuse program that gives customers who reuse shopping bags the option of donating five cents to the co-op’s philanthropic ventures. As of mid-August 2009, the Food Bank Program had already spent almost $30,000 on food donations.

In 2007, PCC stepped outside its local community and partnered with Alaffia Sustainable Skincare, a shea butter product manufacturer based in Olympia, Wash., to host drives for Alaffia’s Bicycles for Education program. The goal was to collect used bikes to send to children in secondary schools in Togo, West Africa. Because there is a high drop-out rate there—especially in rural areas—the bicycles are meant to encourage and empower the children to stay in school. “Our willingness to participate in these drives is a direct result of our members’ and shoppers’ generosity and awareness,” says Angela Baker, PCC’s community relations specialist. She adds that PCC’s clientele “realize their efforts within their communities can impact people globally.”

PCC shoppers alone have donated more than 700 bicycles, and Alaffia’s follow-up evaluations show that the children are indeed riding the bikes to school. Other companies can follow PCC’s example by listening to their clients. “By doing so, companies can prove successful beyond their bottom line,” says Baker. “Good will created within one’s community is invaluable.”

Click here to see four other companies that give.