Welcome
by cary, February 25, 2009 | Permalink
Welcome to the Whole Foods Market – Cary blog page. We plan to use this space to let you know what’s up at Whole Foods Market and also as an avenue to discuss interesting things/events/products that are unique to the Cary store and our community.
To begin with I would like to let you know about two great fundraising efforts that we are privileged to be involved with, the Whole Planet Foundation and the Western Wake Farmers Market.
On Wednesday, February 18th, we started our Whole Planet Foundation Prosperity Campaign. For six weeks, February 18th – March 31st, we will be actively taking donations from our customers to help end poverty in developing countries. The Mission of the Whole Planet Foundation is to create economic partnerships, through microcredit, with the poor in communities that supply Whole Foods Market with product. Currently Whole Planet Foundation microcredit loans are working in 12 countries, on 4 continents. Microloans are small loans - usually $300 or less - requiring no collateral or contract. They are offered to the poorest of the poor, with a focus on women, wanting to finance self-employment projects that will generate income.
Earlier this month the Triangle was honored with a visit from Nobel Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, who is founder of the Grameen Bank and Grameen Trust, and advisor to the Whole Planet Foundation. Professor Yunus gave a public address at North Carolina Central University in Durham. He answered basic questions about how he came up with the idea for microcredit, and how the Grameen Bank was born. He also talked about the unique opportunity that we have right now to reinvent our banking system in the United States. Many of us from the Triangle Whole Foods Market stores were able to attend and be inspired by Professor Yunus’ words. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Trust are very special to many of us at Whole Foods Market and every team member has an opportunity to give money to the Whole Planet Foundation through payroll deductions. Currently we at Whole Foods Market in Cary contribute $64 per pay period or roughly $1600 per year, which hopefully will fund at least 5 to 6 microloans. As a company our team members are averaging close to half a million dollars a year. Check out this video on YouTube featuring Muhammad Yunus to learn more about Grameen Bank and the story of microcredit.
The Western Wake Farmers’ Market is a new project started by some moms in Cary who wanted to have a place to shop for local, seasonal produce. The Farmers Market will be at Carpenter Village in Cary, beginning Saturday May 2nd from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. There is a lot of work to be done to get a project like this off the ground so this Saturday, February 27th, Whole Foods Market and Cindy’s House Café will collaborate to hold a Wine and Cheese Fundraiser to benefit the Western Wake Farmers’ Market. I will post pictures of the event next week and any new tidbits of info about the new Farmers’ Market.
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