Empowering Individuals in the Global Community Through Entrepreneurship
John M. Mackey (CEO of Whole Foods Market)As we have done business around the world increasingly we feel we have the responsibility to help those communities we are trading in. Our partnership, through the Whole Planet Foundation, with Global Vision International, will help our Whole Foods Market Team Members contribute to our mission.
Pilot Trip in 2012
We're excited to announce Brazil as a 2012 destination, along with India, Kenya and the United States.
In Brazil, we will support a community in Amapá and learn about açaí production in the Amazon Rainforest with Sambazon, visit a Whole Planet Foundation-supported microlending project in the slums (favelas) of São Paolo and visit Iguassu Falls.
Eligibility:
2,000+ service hours
No current corrective counseling
Team Leader-recommended, Regional President/GVP-approved
Positive, self-directed attitude, passion for service
Friendly and flexible
Current passport
Volunteers pay for their own airfare and travel clinic costs
How to Apply
Please apply online and submit your application form and upload an essay and/or video link by February 29. Regions will select their participants by March 16 and Whole Planet Foundation will confirm volunteers by April 6.
Questions?
Email wfmtmvp@wholefoods.com
For 2013, we are planning for Ghana, Haiti, Tanzania, Thailand and Turkey as potential destinations.
2012 Trip
We are offering a two-week trip in September 2012 for ten volunteers to build a kitchen for a children's home in Rajasthan, visit a Whole Planet Foundation-supported microlending project and cashew production in Kerala, and take Indian cuisine cooking classes.
Eligibility:
2,000+ service hours
No current corrective counseling
Team Leader-recommended, Regional President/GVP-approved
Positive, self-directed attitude, passion for service
Friendly and flexible
Current passport
Volunteers pay for their own airfare and travel clinic costs
How to Apply
Please apply online and submit your application form and upload an essay and/or video link by February 29. Regions will select their participants by March 16 and Whole Planet Foundation will confirm volunteers by April 6.
Questions?
Email wfmtmvp@wholefoods.com
Pilot program in 2011
We were thrilled to offer a successful pilot trip to India in September 10-25, 2011, with 10 team members and one family member.
Team members volunteered with The Miracle Foundation, an Austin-based non-profit supporting orphanages in India, to build a playground for an orphanage based in Tamil Nadu.
Team members traveled to Kerala, India where Whole Foods Market sources cashews, in order to learn about microcredit from Whole Planet Foundation partner Microcredit Inititative of Grameen. In Kerala, volunteers visited with clients to see their home-based businesses and witness microcredit in action. To date, Whole Planet Foundation microfinance partners worldwide are lending to more than 161,000 microcredit clients in 46 countries, benefiting nearly one million people.
The final stage of this journey was a flight to Delhi and exciting drive to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world as a symbol of eternal love.
A life-changing experience!
2012 Trips
We are offering three trips to support a community near Nairobi (first trip needs TMs to build a bakery - doers), second trip needs bakers, chefs and baristas - innovators, and the third trip needs bakers, customer service TMs and business types to open the bakery - implementers, visit a Whole Planet Foundation-supported microlending project in the coffee-growing region near Mt. Kenya, and go on safari (one day for 2-weekers, 3 days for 4-weekers)
Eligibility:
2,000+ service hours
No current corrective counseling
Team Leader-recommended, Regional President/GVP-approved
Positive, self-directed attitude, passion for service
Friendly and flexible
Current passport
Volunteers pay for their own airfare and travel clinic costs
How to Apply
Please apply online and submit your application form and upload an essay and/or video link by February 29. Regions will select their participants by March 16 and Whole Planet Foundation will confirm volunteers by April 6.
Questions?
Email wfmtmvp@wholefoods.com
Pilot program in 2011
We were thrilled with the pilot trip to Kenya that occurred June 11-25, 2011, with 9 team members and a family member.
Team members volunteered with Comfort the Children International, an Austin-based non-profit supporting disabled children in Kenya, with the main goal of building a poultry and educating schoolchildren about environmental efforts by greening their village. Then then group travels by road to the Masai Mara where team members will get to participate in a safari at an eco-safari resort camp.
Team members traveled to Nyeri, Kenya where Whole Foods Market sources coffee, in order to learn about microcredit from Whole Planet Foundation partner Jamii Bora Trust. In Nyeri, which is at the base of Mt. Kenya, volunteers will visit with clients and see their home-based businesses to witness microcredit in action. To date, Whole Planet Foundation microfinance partners worldwide are lending to more than 161,000 microcredit clients in 46 countries, benefiting nearly one million people.
Pilot trip in 2012
Based on interest, we plan to offer a one-week volunteer trip in New York City. Details coming soon!
2007-2011
The Team Member Volunteer Program in Guatemala has been supporting the community of Panajachel since 2007. In July 2011, 14 team members and family members will participate. In 2010, 25 team members from Whole Foods Market stores and facilities in the U.S. and Canada volunteered. Team members have built 47 carbon-efficient stoves, provided 83,200 meals to school children, and taught over 348,000 hours of classroom instruction.
Volunteers have the unique opportunity of being immersed in one of several indigenous communities situated near our base town, Panajachel, a beautiful old town on the shores of Lake Atitlan, an awe-inspiring spectacle of sheer beauty, surrounded by volcanoes. Volunteers work alongside Global Vision International (GVI) staff, supporting the leaders of the local indigenous communities to develop educational and community programs. The programs assist children who otherwise would not have the opportunity of any formal education or who need educational reinforcement, and the local families to improve their own standard of living via micro-financing and small scale construction initiatives.
Team Members get to learn about microcredit from Whole Planet Foundation partner Banrural Grameen Guatemala. To date, Whole Planet Foundation microfinance partners worldwide are lending to more than 146,000 microcredit clients in 39 countries, benefiting nearly one million people.
Learn more about Team Member experiences from GVI's blog about the Guatemala program
Going to Guatemala meant so much to me because it put real people and real faces on the Whole Planet Foundation mission. My perspective completely changed when I looked in the eyes of those women borrowers- what challenges they face every day and how hard their life is. They are beautiful, amazing women with a lot on their shoulders to carry and they just need that little loan to rise above the challenges of their society and their life. I felt a responsibility to them and I knew the best way I could assist them is by creating awareness when I returned back to my local stores. Asking people to donate $1 or 2 dollars is such a small amount for us, but collectively can add up to an entire loan for a woman, or 2 loans for 2 women, etc. The effects of that $1 or $2 are even more far reaching because it touches her family, her children, and even the generations to come. I hope that through my Guatemala experience I can make a huge difference in the lives of the borrowers and their families.
Kerry Page, Rocky Mountain TM Volunteer
2011
Team Members volunteered in Peru in July and August 2011, including 33 team members and family members.
Team members volunteered with Global Vision International, to build water cisterns for an impoverished community.
Team members traveled to Arequipa, Peru where Whole Foods Market sources onions, in order to learn about microcredit from Whole Planet Foundation partner Pro Mujer. Volunteers learned about microcredit from the Mollendo office in the high desert and visited with clients to see their home-based businesses and witness microcredit in action. To date, Whole Planet Foundation microfinance partners worldwide are lending to more than 161,000 microcredit clients in 46 countries, benefiting nearly one million people.
Volunteers worked alongside Global Vision International staff, supporting the leaders of the local indigenous communities to develop educational and community programs. The programs assisted children who otherwise would not have the opportunity of any formal education or who need educational reinforcement, and the local families to improve their own standard of living via micro-financing and small scale construction initiatives.
The final stage of this journey was a trip to Cusco, Peru to visit Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca site.
Check out Team Member Mary's blog about her Peru trip at Mary Picchu (please note this is a not a WFM or WPF-sponsored blog).
2007-2008 Trips
Volunteers who joined this four-week program lived and worked in one of the poorer regions of Costa Rica, to experience different regions of the country through excursions. The project is based in Limon Province, in a town called La Alegria, close to Guacimo. Guacimo lies on the eastern side of the country, 2.5 hours by minibus from San Jose, towards the Caribbean coast. Volunteers travelled from San Jose to EARTH University to tour its banana plantation and processing facility where EARTH repurposes banana waste into paper, and to learn about the benefits of Whole Trade Guarantee Program. In the same week, volunteers learned about microcredit by Grameen Trust, a Whole Planet Foundation partner, and attended a borrower meeting and visited the businesses borrowers have developed as a result of the microloan. Team Members learned Spanish and interacted with the community, learning about the history of the area and the social and environmental challenges. Community service included work on a program of education, as requested by the local community, including English Language teaching after school, one-on-one reinforcement, and adult education. There was also opportunity to assist with construction programs as well. On a weekend, volunteers visited New Chapter Organic's Costa Rican farm, Luna Nueva, which is near to Arenal Volcano. They toured the medical gardens, learned about the rainforest and bio-dynamics. On a another weekend, Team Members visited the impressive Tortuguerro National Park to see wildlife such as monkeys, caiman, crocodiles, and the stunning birdlife such as toucans. Volunteers joined a turtle conservation program at night in hopes of seeing turtles emerging to lay their eggs. The third weekend was available for Team Members to explore Costa Rica, as popular activities include zip lining, rafting and the beach! This program helped Costa Rican families to improve their standard of living, via sustainable development initiatives, educational facilities for the next generation of Costa Ricans and also assists in the conservation of Costa Rican natural resources.
In Costa Rica we had the opportunity to meet some of the microcredit clients. We went to their homes and saw what they can do with a microloan. At one borrowers home we saw a tilapia fish pond, a small field of ornamental plants and a sugar cane grove. The family was very happy and am sure healthy! $200 can go a long way toward changing a family and their future.
Scott Price, Southwest Region TM Volunteer
