Empower the Poor $1 at a Time

by winterpark, March 21, 2009 | Permalink

Hello there!

If you’ve shopped with us in the past month, you’ve probably been asked to donate to the Whole Planet Foundation Prosperity Campaign. Hopefully you said yes, and if so, we sincerely thank you for your support.

The Whole Planet Foundation is based on a very cool concept called microcredit. Microcredit is small loans - around $200 - provided to impoverished individuals who use the funds to start their own home-based businesses to lift themselves out of poverty. With loans as small as $200 each, even a $1 donation goes a long way.

The Whole Planet Foundation funds microcredit lending projects in communities where Whole Foods Market sources product, such as coffee - East Timor, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya and Nicaragua; bananas - Costa Rica and Honduras; tea -India and Nepal; rice - Thailand; and produce and dairy - New York City area.

And one of things I find really stands out about the Whole Planet Foundation is that 100% of your donation goes directly to the microcredit loans and Whole Foods Market covers 100% of the Foundation’s operating costs. So you can give with confidence.

The Prosperity Campaign ends March 31st. Please consider giving a donation during your next visit to our store or you can donate online. Check out the stories of microcredit clients and see how $1 can truly change a life; visit www.wholeplanetfoundation.org for more information. Thank you for your continued support.