By Michelle Key
Publisher
Earth Fare of Auburn held a ribbon-cutting and a grand reopening this past Saturday morning to mark the occasion of their recent store remodel.
“We have been here for nine years, and we’ve done a lot of work inside,” said Earth Fare Store #500 Manager Rick Moser. “We appreciate the city of Auburn and Opelika community and the surrounding communities that support us everyday. Thank you for coming out.”
Earth Fare presented OGrows Community Garden with a check for $1,000. Board member Clay Williford accepted the check on behalf of the organization.
OGrows holds a community farmer’s market every Tuesday during the summer months, a community garden and educational greenhouse.
“It is our mission of sustainability and education to help feed people more healthy and local food. It is how we align with Earth Fare and their mission,” Williford said. “Thank you (Earth Fare) so much.”
Auburn Mayor Ron Anders also spoke at the event.
“We’re excited to be here today and we thank the developers and owners of this shopping center for investing more than 4.6 million dollars into renovating this center,” Anders said.
“We are certainly grateful to Earth Fare for what they have done inside their building to make their shopping experience even better,” Anders added.
After cutting the ribbon, the first 100 guests lined up to enter the store were given gift cards. The value of the cards ranged from $5 to $500 with one lucky person being the recipient of the $500 card.
About OGrows
Founded in 2012 by Opelikians Sean and Susan Forbes, OGrows utilizes community gardens to pursue curricular objectives that support the community challenges of hunger relief and city beautification.
To volunteer with OGrows and help them fulfill their mission, email ogrowsalabama@gmail.com or visit the website www.education.auburn.edu/initiatives/opelika-grows.