LAKEWOOD, Colo., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Martin Luther King Day, January 20, 2020, Natural Grocers, donated $66,600 to Jack and Jill of America's (JJOA) Graduation Assistance Program (GAP) Fund, exceeding its original fundraising goal for the day. The partnership between Natural Grocers and JJOA, which marks the GAP Fund's first corporate sponsorship, was born of the shared values of both organizations to give back to the communities they serve.

Natural Grocers' direct donation to the JJOA GAP Fund was equal to 2.5% of the company's total sales on MLK Day. The GAP Fund is used to provide scholarship endowments to directly satisfy tuition debt of students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs.) Natural Grocers' customers also have the opportunity to make direct contributions to the JJOA GAP Fund at any one of Natural Grocers' 156 store locations around the country through the end of Black History Month, February 29, 2020.

"We are proud to see our Founding Principle of commitment to the communities we serve come to life through our company-wide partnership with Jack and Jill of America," said Kemper Isely, Natural Grocers' Chairman and Co-President. "It is an honor for Natural Grocers to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King by making this donation to the JJOA GAP Fund."

"The turn out on Martin Luther King Day was a game changer for JJOA's GAP Fund," commented Danielle Brown, National President of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. "Alongside Natural Grocers, we are working on making a difference in the lives of all children by realizing Margaret Isely's dream to have better quality produce options for families and the GAP Fund's mission to support HBCUs students drive towards graduation."

Visit the Natural Grocers store locator to find the nearest participating store. Additional details on the partnership can be found here.

About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC; NaturalGrocers.com) is an expanding specialty retailer of organic and natural groceries, body care products and dietary supplements. The company offers a flexible, neighborhood-store format, affordable prices and free, science-based nutrition education programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition choices. Founded in Colorado in 1955, Natural Grocers has more than 3,500 employees and operates 156 stores in 20 states.

About Jack and Jill of American, Incorporated
Jack and Jill of America, Inc. is an organization founded in 1938 with the mission of stimulating the growth and development of children through educational, cultural, civic, recreational, health and social programs inspired by mothers. Through its more than 245 chapters organized in seven regions across the United States, the organization consists of more than 40,000 family members which includes, mother members, fathers and children ages 2 through 19. Jack and Jill Chapters also support non-profit organizations through its philanthropic arm, the Jack and Jill of America Foundation, among the first foundations established by African-American families in the United States. Since its founding in 1968, the Foundation has granted millions of dollars to worthy causes supporting children and families.

SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc.