Mast Store gifts local land trusts

Mast General Store sent checks totaling more than $70,000 to a group of land trusts across its four-state region to conclude its Land Trust Day celebration.

Each of the family- and employee-owned company’s 11 stores donated 20% of their Land Trust Day sales to a local conservancy partner. Store guests also made individual contributions to the cause by choosing to round up their purchases to the next whole dollar. Altogether, nine land trust partners representing the Mountains and Piedmont of North Carolina, East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and the Upstate and Midlands of South Carolina received $70,426.40.

Land Trust Day, held each year on the first Saturday of June, recognizes land trusts, also referred to as conservancies, for their vital, ongoing work of preserving natural landscapes, habitats, and waterways. These organizations perform a range of roles like assisting landowners and other associations in safeguarding familial or cultural land heritage, protecting wetlands and wildlife habitats, and providing recreational opportunities everyone can enjoy.

Preserving the pristine character of the natural landscape was a top priority of John and Faye Cooper when they purchased the Original Mast General Store in 1979.

Today, Mast Store President Lisa Cooper proudly carries on her parents’ legacy of partnering with regional land trusts. She serves with and advocates for land trusts, including Blue Ridge Conservancy.

This year’s Land Trust Day was especially meaningful as representatives from a number of land trusts were on hand in their partnering Mast Store location to tell guests about efforts to restore their area following Hurricane Helene, which impacted much of the Mast Store’s home region last fall. These land trust representatives reminded guests that while parts of the mountains are still recovering, businesses throughout the region are open and welcoming back tourists this summer and fall.

For more information on Land Trust Day at Mast General Store, visit MastGeneralStore.com.