Time to re-enroll in Kroger rewards program

As many of you know, The Kroger Community Rewards Program donates a percentage of each gas or grocery purchase to the Friends of the Pumpkinvine when Kroger shoppers pick the Friends of the Pumpkinvine from a list of eligible organizations on the Kroger website. This year, through October 2016, the Friends of the Pumpkinvine had received $563.59 from the Kroger Rewards Program from the purchases of 34 households.

However, participants must renew their participation in the program each year, and that renewal is very easy. Once you log in to your Kroger account at http://www.pumpkinvine.org/html/kroger_rewards.html, you will see a button “Re-enroll now.” Click on it and the re-enroll is done.

If you would like to enroll for the first time, follow these instructions:

·         Go online to krogercommunityrewards.com. Be sure to have your Kroger Plus card handy and register your card with your organization after you sign up. (If you do not have a Kroger Plus card, they are available at the customer service desk at any Kroger.)

·         Click on Sign In/Register in upper right hand corner

·         Click on "Register" if you don't have a Kroger account

·         Click on "Create an account" just below "Forgot your password?"

·         If you are a new online customer, click on SIGN UP TODAY in the ‘New Customer?’ box.

·         That will take you to the "Kroger Community Reward" page.

·         Click on "Enroll Now" link

·         Sign up for a Kroger Rewards Account by entering your zip code, clicking on your favorite store, entering your email address and creating a password and agreeing to the terms and conditions

·         You will then get a message to check your email inbox and click on the link within the body of the email.

·         Click on My Account and use your email address and password to proceed to the next step.

·         Click on Edit Kroger Community Rewards information and input your Kroger Plus card number.

·         Update or confirm your information.

·         Enter NPO number (40758) or Friends of the Pumpkinvine, and select Friends of the Pumpkinvine from the list and click on confirm.

·         To verify you are enrolled correctly, you will see your organization’s name on the right side of your information page.

·         Remember, purchases will not count for the Friends of the Pumpkinvine until after you register your card.

·         If you use your phone number at the cash register instead of the Plus card, call 800-576-4377 and select option 4 to get your Kroger Plus card number.

·         Members must swipe their registered Kroger Plus card or use the phone number that is related to their registered Kroger Plus card when shopping for each purchase to count.

The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is part of regional active-transportation plan

 At the Friends of the Pumpkinvine annual dinner in April, James Turnwald, the executive director of the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG), outlined how the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail fits into the recent trend in transportation planning called “active transportation.”  He defined active transportation as “human-powered transportation that engages people in healthy physical activity while they travel from place to place. Additionally, active transportation is necessary to support public transit to allow for more accessibility within and among communities.”

            The forms active transportation takes – biking and walking to work, for example – are not new per se, but what is new is that planners are emphasizing them much more than they have done in the past as viable transportation options. For example, MACOG’s vision, as outlined in the document Transportation Planning 2040, states: “In 2040, the Michiana Region will boast an interconnected, safe, and accessible transportation network where all residents and visitors can travel from place to place without use of motorized vehicles. Through infrastructure, programs, and policies, walking and bicycling will become a common, enjoyable, and viable transportation and recreation choice that will lead to healthier lives, safer communities, and economically and socially vibrant region.”

That last phrase, “socially vibrant region,” is a key element of the plan. Active transportation isn’t just about saving money on gas, cleaner air and less congestion on our streets and highways. It is a means for achieving a more livable and desirable community, a place where people want to move to. The plan’s “quality of place” goal, Turnwald said, is to “create economically and socially vibrant communities, through the use of active transportation networks that attract resident to live, work and play in our region.”

            I’ve been to numerous public meeting in the past few years where speakers emphasized the fact that we are in competition with other communities to attract and keep talented young people, and the way to do that isn’t necessarily going to be with a certain type of job. More and more young people look first for an attractive place to live -- one with good schools, hospitals and one where it is easy to walk and bike -- then they look for a job in that area. Consequently, if communities want to attract and retain young people, they need to build the type of community young people want, and that includes being a place that promote walking and biking

            This emphasis on active transportation and how it helps create vibrant communities is a ringing endorsement of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail -- a prime example of active transportation that promotes the quality of life in our region. In addition, I would like to think that it bodes well for the future of the trail, because the more we understand how important a well-maintained trail is to the quality of life in our area, the more likely it is that people will support the Friends of the Pumpkinvine when our emphasis shifts from closing the gaps in the trail to trail maintenance, the least glamorous part of a trail project. -- John Yoder