Empowering Individuals in the Global Community Through Entrepreneurship
Whole Foods Market Team Members are passionate about connecting customers and each other to the mission of the Whole Planet Foundation. Team Members have participated in nationally-driven campaigns as well as initiating their own to fundraise and create prosperity.
In 2008, Whole Foods Market U.S. stores ran a Prosperity Campaign at registers to raise $1 million dollars for microcredit programs. Thanks to shopper and team member generosity, $1,033,643 was raised, funding 6,890 microloans and giving the opportunity to 34,453 people to lift themselves out of poverty. These are the top 10 stores and respective funds raised – thank you shoppers and team members! We are grateful for your support.
| 1. Mid-AtlanticRegion | Arlington, Virginia | $25,652 |
| 2. South | “Green Hills”, Nashville, Tennessee | $22,419 |
| 3. Mid-Atlantic Region | “Jenkintown”, Rydal, Pennsylvania | $18,255 |
| 4. Mid-Atlantic Region | "Old Town", Alexandria, Virginia | $17,097 |
| 5. Mid-Atlantic Region | “Mount Washington”, Baltimore, Maryland | $16,004 |
| 6. Florida Region | Coral Gables, Florida | $15,672 |
| 7. Mid-Atlantic Region | Columbus, Ohio | $15,548 |
| 8. South Pacific | Glendale, California | $15,465 |
| 9. Mid-Atlantic Region | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $14,945 |
| 10. Mid-Atlantic Region | Bethesda, Maryland | $14,736 |
Mark Bychowski from the Bellaire store wrote "We finished our big Earth Day 2008 weekend and it was a great success! As we were without a marketing person until the beginning of this month, the event was planned & executed by our GM team (Helen Tellegen, Nancy Rodriguez, Nathan Hamilton, Felipe Salazar, Richard Gamez, Danielle Rosales, Diane Rood, Cristina Kaatz, Gurvis Oswalt, and myself) and led by ASTL Lindsay Benson. Here are just a few of the details:
Store Marketing Specialist Lauressa Nelson and the Winter Park store partnered with Social Studies teachers Stewart Parker of Winter Park High and Michael Coleman of Timbercreek High School to sponsor a community event at Glenridge Middle School in Florida, called “The Oxfam International Hunger Banquet”. The idea is to “illustrate the disparity in distribution of the world’s resources by randomly assigning attendees to dinner tables representing the food available in different parts of the world.” It is based on the Netaid Oxfam "International Hunger Banquet" event. Depending on where you were seated you had access to different quantities and types of food and participants would "discovered their fate" as they were assigned to sit in areas representing different parts of the world. Through various real life scenarios, the participants got to learn more about the realities of the lives of other people on the planet while eating according to the customs and resources. The funds raised by paid admissions to the event totaled $1305, and went to Whole Planet Foundation to provide microloans to the poorest of the poor in countries where Whole Foods Market sources product. Thank you Lauressa and the whole Winter Park team!
The 4th and 5th graders at Olmos Elementary have improved the lives of impoverished women in developing countries through their art. They raised $2080 for Whole Planet Foundation in less than 3 weeks by making $5 ornaments with tools donated to them by the Quarry store in San Antonio, thanks to Store Team Leader Chris Chambers.
The project was so successful that the children now understand the basic principles of microlending (listen to the NPR piece) and they have funded 13 microloans through their efforts. The project's success is primarily due to the efforts of teachers Ms. Brooks, Ms. Sepulveda, and Principal Squirres who taught the children that they can use their artistic talents to raise money to help fund microlending projects which offer the poorest of the poor the opportunity to improve their own lives through entrepreneurship.
Quarry team members and especially Yolanda Diaz and Michelle Guillen did a great job making this project a huge success.
Thank you all!
