Whole Foods Market Shoppers Raise $4.6 Million for Global Poverty Relief
April 24 2015 - 12:41PM
Business Wire
From concerts to craft fairs, shoppers took part in thousands of
Whole Foods Market events to raise more than $4.6 million for
global poverty alleviation. The events were all part of Whole
Planet Foundation’s 2015 Prosperity Campaign to boost awareness and
support for microlending projects worldwide.
“Microcredit offers low-income individuals real, viable means
for escaping the cycle of poverty, because it empowers them with
the opportunity to take charge of their own life and financial
future,” said Philip Sansone, president and executive director of
Whole Planet Foundation. “With a loan of $200, a microcredit client
can start or expand a home-based business, gain financial
independence and carve a path for a better life for herself and her
entire family.”
In addition to attending events, shoppers made donations from
pocket change to full microcredit loan amounts at store checkouts
and online. For the first time, online donors were able to view the
overall impact of their generosity in specific geographic regions
via Whole Planet Foundation’s Power of One tool. Donors could see
how many people their contributions will impact over several
decades as loans are repaid and re-loaned again and again in North
America, Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Africa,
Asia and the Middle East.
Because Whole Foods Market covers 100 percent of the
foundation’s operating costs, every penny of the $4.6 million
raised will go directly to benefiting microentrepreneurs in
countries where the company sources products.
To date, through $62 million in grants to microfinance partners
worldwide, Whole Planet Foundation has funded 1 million microloans
to individuals in 62 countries across four continents, serving a
total of 5 million people.
For more information about the foundation or upcoming
fundraising opportunities, visit wholeplanetfoundation.org.
Whole Foods MarketLiz Burkhart,
512-284-1836Liz.Burkhart@wholefoods.com
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