Left to right: Mike Dokter- Sacramento Save Mart Store Manager, Brooke Coe- Sacramento Zoo Animal Caretaker, Charlie the Owl, Lesley Kirrene- Sacramento Zoo’s Director of Institutional Advancement and Marketing, Victoria Castro- Save Mart Public Affairs Manager, Chris Llewellyn Sacramento Zoo Animal Caretaker, and Julio the Parrot

The Save Mart Companies C.A.R.E.S. Foundation presented a $8,300 grant to the Sacramento Zoo to help provide Science Education Scholarships for low-income children in the Sacramento community. The scholarships will give students the opportunity to attend the zoo’s seasonal educational camps and participate in a variety of other science-based educational programming provided by the Sacramento Zoo.

“We are so grateful to be partnering with The Save Mart Companies C.A.R.E.S. Foundation! The Foundation’s commitment to the community aligns with the Sacramento Zoo’s education programs and our commitment to local youth. With generous support from the C.A.R.E.S. Foundation, we will be able to offer engaging science education programs to hundreds of underserved students,” said Ann Geiger, Sacramento Zoo Director of Education. “Partnerships such as these make our community dynamic and resilient, and a place we are all proud to live in.”

The mission of the Sacramento Zoo is to inspire appreciation, respect and a connection with wildlife and nature through education, recreation and conservation. The zoo’s education programs, designed to engage and connect children with wildlife, have been filling a critical need in the greater Sacramento community since 1970. The zoo’s educational activities and programs provide unique learning opportunities for more than 70,000 students, teachers and chaperones annually. These educational opportunities include programs on zoo grounds for visitors and students on school field trips, as well as off-site K-12 programs that meet California Next Generation Science Standards.

The Save Mart Companies C.A.R.E.S. Foundation donated $450,000 in 2019 to over five dozen local organizations throughout California and Northern Nevada. C.A.R.E.S. stands for Community, Arts, Recreation, Education and Sports, and focuses on improving lives under these categories. For more information, please visit www.SaveMart.com, under the Community tab.