LAKEWOOD, Colo., March 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and an unprecedented time in which grocery stores are more essential to the wellbeing of their communities than ever before, Natural Grocers is taking a number of steps to thank its good4u Crew for providing essential support to the communities in which it operates.

As a thank you and in recognition of their ongoing support of these communities, in addition to the 2 weeks of paid leave for Crew who need it and other benefits that have implemented, Natural Grocers is offering the following benefit: 

• Providing $1 per hour raise to all hourly Crew starting the pay period of March 23.
• Paying a discretionary bonus to all Crew.

"We are living and working in extraordinary times and the news regarding the coronavirus pandemic is confusing, worrying and unfortunately driving uncertainty and fear. During these times, it is even more important that we support each other and acknowledge each other for being there for our communities and each other," explained Heather Isely, Natural Grocers Executive Vice President.  "As this crisis continues to unfold, we are using our Five Founding Principles to guide us as we navigate how to serve the public and our Crew and one of our Five Founding Principles is our Commitment to our good4u Crew. We greatly appreciate the hard and dedicated work that our teams have put in over the last weeks."

Previously Natural Grocers announced company updates, which include:

• All 157 Natural Grocers stores will be closing at 7:35 p.m., until further notice, so that good4u Crews can restock and thoroughly clean their stores. All stores will open at their normal posted times. These new closing hours will remain in effect until further notice.
• Actively hiring temporary full-time stocking and cleaning positions at all 157 stores, located in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
• To apply for the temporary stocking and cleaning positions, visit www.naturalgrocers.com/temp-work or Text "GROW" to 97211 to talk with a recruiter.
• Providing up to 2 weeks of paid leave to all good4u Crew (both full-time and part-time) if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 or if they are placed under mandatory quarantine by public health authorities.
• Additional pay replacement may be provided for up to an additional 12 weeks under Natural Grocers short-term disability benefit, if a Crew member is unable to return to work after the initial 2 weeks.
• Rescheduled grand opening dates: The Green Valley Ranch, CO, previously scheduled for March 25 will now open on May 5 and Cedar City, UT, previously scheduled for April 11 will now open on June 3.
• All in-store nutrition education classes and recipe demos have been canceled through May 1.
• All product samplings have been eliminated.
• All on-tap Kombucha stations have been closed through May 1.
• All testers have been removed and will replaced with new ones once the pandemic has abated.

To locate the closest Natural Grocers store, visit the store directory. For customers who may be feeling ill, home delivery is available at most Natural Grocers locations through Instacart.

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 157 stores in 20 states.

SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc.