Fresh Produce Blog

Happy Friday, everyone!  FP is traveling around the globe this week!  We donated tons of clothing and other goodies to the Airline Ambassadors program, a nonprofit organization that provides aid to children around the world, and now our vibrant colors and good spirits are reaching far beyond the United States.  Check out these children in Soyapango, El Salvador with Fresh Produce beachballs.

Yesterday fresh-E and I participated in a Macerich Centers-sponsored nationwide Step Out, Step Up volunteer event to support the Step Up Women’s Network. The event gathered volunteers from local communities across the country to stuff more than 30,000 wellness bags for women cancer patients. Retailers from Twenty Ninth Street and Flatiron Crossing (the home of this year’s big FP Warehouse Sale) donated goods and services to be included in the gift bags. Fresh Produce donated 600 deliciously soft Cozy Robe bath robes, complete with FP employee hand-written notes. There were so many nice women gathered to stuff bags that we finished in record time, which meant all the more opportunity to enjoy the other fun stuff provided by participating retailers, like makeovers from MAC and yoga demonstrations by Lululemon!

All in all it was a successful event and a great way to spend just 2 hours of our time making a difference in the community. We feel good about working with companies like Macerich that go the extra mile to help out in the communities where they do business (we have stores in 2 Macerich centers - FP Gilbert and FP Scottsdale). The wellness bags will be distributed through a partnership with local affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the American Cancer Society just in time for Mother’s Day this weekend. We surely hope the goodies and well wishes bring some smiles to their recipients. Be well.

Fresh Produce Sportswear is pleased to announce their participation in Boulder Shares, a humanitarian aid relief trip to El Salvador under the guidance of Airline Ambassadors, a non-profit organization affiliated with the United Nations that provides a way for individuals to participate and contribute to humanitarian relief and development projects.  The Boulder Shares event brings together a group of Boulder area companies including Fresh Produce, Croc’s, Wallaroo Hats, OneWorld Running Company, Page Two and Instant Imprints to deliver goods to individuals and families in need.  Under the leadership of William Dise, regional director for Airline Ambassadors, the 3-day relief mission will visit two villages and orphanages in two days, supplying men, women and children with new clothes, toys and other vital necessities for health, nutrition and hygiene. At the invitation of El Salvador’s First Lady, Ana Ligia Mixco de Saca, the Boulder Shares mission trip will take place February 27^th – March 1^st.  Donations made by Boulder Shares participants will be shipped to El Salvador by American Airlines.   Mission participants, including representatives from some of the participating businesses, will distribute donated goods from Boulder including clothes, shoes, hats, toys, powdered milk, hygiene and newborn kits, strollers and more.

Fresh Produce Sportswear is pleased to provide vibrant, colorful Fresh Produce clothing for women and children. The company aspires to spread color, comfort and hope to those in need, something that Fresh Produce owners Thom and Mary Ellen Vernon have made an integral part of their company culture.  Explains Mary Ellen: “We have seen firsthand what a positive impact something a simple as receiving a new shirt or dress can make on a women or child who has so little to call their own.  As an apparel company, this is something that just makes sense for us to do and we are delighted to work with Airline Ambassadors, and the other participating businesses in Boulder to make it happen.”  Donated goods also include colorful footwear from Crocs and protective sunhats from Wallaroo.

Additionally, Boulder Country Day School has coordinated a drive for toy cars, Beanie Babies and gently used Umbrella Strollers. Broomfield High School has donated sneakers and athletic shoes collected in a recent shoe drive, and a Longmont family has generously purchased new umbrella strollers and helped procure other items. 

About Airline Ambassadors

Airline Ambassadors International is a non-profit organization affiliated with the United Nations and recognized by the US Congress. It began as a network of airline employees using their pass privileges to help others and has expanded into a network of students, medical professionals, families and retirees who volunteer as “Ambassadors of Goodwill” in their home communities and abroad.   AAI provides humanitarian aid to children and families in need as well as relief and development to under-privileged communities worldwide. Airline Ambassadors provides travel escorts for children in need, hand-delivers humanitarian aid to orphanages, clinics, and remote communities, raises public awareness and involves youth in humanitarian efforts around the world. Inspired by the UN Millennium Development Goals, AAI provides a way for individual travelers to participate and contribute to humanitarian relief and development projects worldwide. By partnering with non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), schools, churches and civil society, AAI works with governments and leverages contacts with the travel industry to match world resource to world need. Thousands of our members volunteer their skills, time, finances and effort to become a direct link, providing humanitarian aid, tangible care and goodwill services, spanning countries and cultures throughout the globe.

 
FP beach party with Airline Ambassador Founder
and President Nancy Rivard

FP Beach hat

So excited, she’s wearing 2 dresses!

Brand new FP clothing!

Kathie Horman was the winning bidder for the one of a kind FP quilt shown in our catalog. It was a very exciting auction full of constant bidding. One customer even called in every half hour to check bidding status, but Mrs. Horman prevailed!

Kathie Horman is a long time customer of Fresh Produce, having shopped in Nordstrom’s, our Sanibel store and now in Gilbert. She is an avid quilter and has donated many of her own creations to benefit various charity events through the years, so naturally our event really spoke to her. She purchased the quilt for her daughter (her granddaughters are pictured here). And true to style, she is wearing FP head to toe!

Fresh Produce matched the winning bid. The proceeds were donated to the Jewell McFarland Lewis Fresh Start Women’s Resource Center in Phoenix, AZ.

Thank you to Kathie for her persistence in becoming the successful bidder of our beautiful FP quilt!

Last Friday, a group of FP employees went to a new Habitat for Humanity house that was being built in Longmont, CO. When we arrived it was cold, snowing, sleeting, muddy, and only the foundation and subflooring existed. By the time we left, most of the exterior frame was up and we were all thrilled that we were able to be part of such a great cause - even though our fingers and toes were frozen :)  Enjoy the pics ~freshE

The beginning of the house, building the frames

Nothing can stop the FP assembly line!

One of the final frames to go up for the day…

We hope the family enjoys their new house!

Hello everyone!
Last week, I was alerted to some “Do-Goodingness” back in the warehouse…It seems that Julia (fpHoneyB’s mom), had gotten together with some of her girlfriends and had created some AWESOME Christmas gift packets for the children at the Lovia School in Accra, Ghana. The preschool was funded with love by Carol Freund, mother of our own Customer Service Diva, Kathe. The school started with 10 kids in a garage and now lovingly supports 150 students! I can’t wait to see pics of the kids once they’ve received their lovingly created packages. Not only did Julia and her friends send 200 gift packets for the students and their siblings, but they also sent crayons, notebooks, fun pads, playdough, pencils, and hygiene packets for the children. What a great way to live the FP Life at the holidays!

By the way, all of us at Fresh Produce want to know how you’re living the FP Life too! Please send me (ehendley@fpcolor.com) some pics and stories so that I can post them on the blog and share them with everyone! Or, if you have a friend or family member you’d like to nominate for the way they are Living the FP Life, please write a profile on this person because like I said, I’d love to highlight some of your “Do-Goodingness”!

Have a great Turkey Day! ~fresh-E

Julia, with her lovingly crafted gifts

Toys galore, and look at the cute hand-stamped packages!

The FP Marietta store did such a fantastic job hosting its “Girls Night Out Shopping Event” to benefit the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer, that we just had to share some fun pics! We hope you enjoy them and way to go FP Peach State! Keep up the good work, and by the way, the store looks absolutely fabulous fresh-E

It’s a Pink Wonderland!

Beautiful merchandising

I spy some FP Fans!

More Marietta - if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by!

Today, 15 of our Retail stores are holding simultaneous “Girls Night Out Shopping Parties” to benefit the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer. Fresh Produce will be donating a generous 10% of event sales to the foundation, a wonderful organization that funds groundbreaking research in an effort to find a cure.
In conjunction with the store events, we’ve had a fun PINK day in the office to help raise awareness and to support the stores’ fundraising efforts. Here are some pics from today.

Lorna in Retail

Will in Marketing

Some great FP pink items that can be purchased from your
local Retail store!

The Design Team

If you’re interested in learning more about the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer or in making a contribution on your own, please visit http://www.verabradley.org.

And a special thank you goes out to FPD-lovely for organizing such a great event. It is appreciated by all!
fresh-E

In 1984, our founders, Thom and Mary Ellen Vernon, were wide-eyed, excited and full of life…they still are and now also share their zest for life with their two growing sons (and Spankie, the little black pug). Fresh Produce has gone a lot of places with you since its humble beginnings at the LA Olympics in 1984 and as the line has grown, so too has the spirit of the Fresh Produce brand. Now more than ever, we are dedicated to bringing vivid color and cheer to women and children around the world.

Last Thanksgiving, the Vernon Family traded turkey for hammers and nails and helped build houses in Tijuana, Mexico.

In late 2006, Typhoon Durian devastated the Philippines. In response, Fresh Produce sent 36,000 pieces of sunny and happy clothing to the region through long-time partner, Children International. Since 2000 we’ve partnered with the global humanitarian organization and have sent more than 175,000 pieces of clothing around the world in just the past two years. Our ongoing dedication was proudly recognized by the Philippine Ambassador at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. this spring!

Fresh Produce is also aglow at the Lovia School in Accra, Ghana, a preschool funded with love by Carol Freund, mother of our own Customer Service Diva, Kathe. The school started with 10 kids in a garage and now lovingly supports 150 students! These are just some of the ways that we are “Living the FP Life” and helping others enjoy color. We want to know how your brighten the world and “live the FP life” because even the smallest gestures can make a huge impact in someone’s life.  Leave us a comment about all of the wonderful things you do everyday!live life enjoy color,  ~ fresh-E

As most of you know, we had a screenprint design contest, with over 400 entries, all inspired from memorable vacations!

Participants had to submit an original piece of artwork that could be developed into a screenprint for Fresh Produce. “My Favorite Vacation” was the theme. Entries came inspired by the ocean, mountains, tropical getaways and memorable moments with the ones they love.

The First Place winner’s design will be sold nationally in Fresh Produce stores with a percentage of profits going to a family and education cause of the winner’s choice.

Our first place winner is Grant Black of Fort Myers, FL!Grant was honeymooning with his wife in San Francisco when the two came across a wonderful Californian Garden. There, Grant’s wife spotted her favorite flower: the daisy. After their perfect vacation, Grant decided to paint this beautiful flower for his favorite person, his wife.

This winning design will be produced on Fresh Produce’s Extra Fresh Tee, Active Crew, and the Long Sleeve Baby Rib Tee. It will be available in colors, Periwinkle, White, Semi Sweet and Sunflower. Our anticipated release of the screenprinted tops is July 2007. So keep a look out, because a percentage of the profits go to Grant’s great cause, the National Children’s Advocacy Center!

And here is where New York City comes in…Last Thursday, the tee with Grant’s design was broadcast on the Reuters Display Board in Times Square!  How exciting, and what a great cause!