It may not be a national holiday or a day recorded in the history books, but for 851,000 people worldwide and for us, October 25 is an important date! It is the day Whole Foods Market launched Whole Planet Foundation with a mission to fight global poverty through microcredit. Nine years later, we have reached the milestone of disbursing more than $36 million in small loans to microcredit clients across 61 countries, empowering them with a chance to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
This October 25, we will celebrate our ninth birthday by honoring our Poverty is Unnecessary Fund partners – suppliers and companies who have donated between $25,000 and $50,000 each this year to support our mission. To commemorate the day, select Whole Foods Market stores companywide will be hosting interactive events – from scavenger hunts and product demos to social media giveaways – all spotlighting the large role donors have played in the foundation’s success.
This year’s Poverty is Unnecessary Fund members are:
- Café Spice
- CorePower Yoga
- Food Should Taste Good
- Genji Sushi
- Greyston Bakery
- LÄRABAR
- Liberté
- Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day
- Navitas Naturals
- ORGANIC INDIA
- Stacy’s
- Steaz
- Suja Juice
- Vita Coco
We hope you will join us in celebrating our Poverty is Unnecessary Fund members! To check out what’s happening in your local community, visit the Whole Foods Market store page for a list of events happening in October.