Lucky's Market will host a series of special events commemorating the grand opening of its Traverse City store March 22 - including the presentation of a $10,000 "impact grant" to local nonprofit Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities.

The new organic grocery store at Buffalo Ridge Center will host a public "bacon-cutting ceremony" (the chain's spin on a ribbon-cutting ceremony) on March 22 at 10am. At the ceremony, Lucky's Market representatives will present Groundwork Center with a $10,000 check "to expand family cooking classes to five nearby Traverse City elementary schools." The new cooking workshops will "feature guest chefs and provide hands-on education and nutrition activities for the whole family," according to Lucky's.

Other special events planned around the store’s opening include:

> Tasting Fair on Saturday, March 25 from 11am to 3pm featuring Lucky’s Market’s local product vendors, food samples and gift basket giveaways.
> Reusable bag credits through May 20: Shoppers reusing their shopping bags can choose to get a 10-cent credit on their purchase or send a donation to Women's Resource Center, Reigning Liberty or TART Trails.
> Upcoming Impact Day in which 10% of one day’s total net sales will go to SEEDS to "help more people learn to cook from scratch, reinvest in the local community, and transform the lives of northern Michigan youth."

The 28,000 square-foot Traverse City store will be the second Lucky's Market in Michigan after Ann Arbor and is expected to employ 150 staff members.