CMI Orchards Looks Back on Moves to Support Veterans
WENATCHEE, WA - Last week, families from across the country celebrated the service of our U.S. veterans. One supplier taking part in the holiday was CMI Orchards, which participated in a number of local community events recognizing and celebrating local soldiers on Veterans Day. Part of a series of ongoing American Dream promotions, CMI continues to work toward giving back to veterans, military members, and their families.
“A dazzling billboard in the center of the community, social media marketing, and word of mouth drove hungry veterans to collect delicious bags of Gala apples from Royal Produce, home grown in local orchards,” George Harter, Vice President of Marketing at CMI, said. “There is nothing better than to be able to shake the hands of our local veterans and deliver a personal message of thanks, not only from myself and from CMI, but from all of the apple growers in our region.”
In partnership with Royal Produce, a small family-owned produce operation from Royal City operating in Pybus Public Market, CMI provided free apples for veterans from November 7–14, according to a press release.
“We’ve had a steady flow of traffic to the store and have been talking with lots of veterans as they stop by to collect their apples,” Santos Guadarrama, Owner of Royal Produce, said. “Our family loves this annual tradition of partnering with CMI for this promotion. We are on our second year and I hope that this continues into the future so that we can share with our local veterans a token of our appreciation for their service.”
On November 11, CMI attended an event with the Wenatchee chapter of the American Legion, where CMI staff met with veterans to hand out bags of American Dream apples to local members. An impressive backdrop was rolled out into the parking lot with the words “Honoring our Soldiers” emblazoned across it, bringing much commendation and admiration from soldiers attending Veterans Day services.
Harter explained that the American Dream program was designed with a giving component tied in: A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each box of apples is donated to military and veteran causes that are important to CMI’s retail partners.
“We wanted to create a program that was powerful, proudly American and inspiring,” Harter said. “We’re truly honored that our program has taken off in such a big way and year over year it continues to build momentum and offer an excellent promotional tool for our customers.”
Through the American Dream program, CMI has made contributions to the Wounded Warriors Project, Soldiers’ Angels, Operation Homefront, Vets Serving Vets, and a number of local charities across America.
We at ANUK salute our country’s veterans and suppliers like CMI who work to give back through fresh produce.
