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The Very Important Question You’ll Be Getting Asked at Whole Foods
At all Whole Foods stores until the end of the month, you will be asked a very important question when paying for your items.
And I am not referring to “Did you find everything you were looking for today?”
What I am referring to is “Would you like to make a donation to the Whole Planet Foundation?”
During my recent trip to Costa Rica, I was able to see first-hand the amazing work that the Whole Planet Foundation is doing to improve the lives of women entrepreneurs in that country.
And it isn’t just in Costa Rica where they are making a difference but in 50 other nations around the world.
The organization provides microloans to small business owners in impoverished communities who otherwise have no access to capital.
These are honest, hard-working women – who run small stores, make baked goods, sew clothes, etc. – but don’t have credit cards to borrow against and have no way to finance their operations.
Whole Planet Foundation works with local partners in each country to provide this critical funding and to administer the loan programs.
Based on the numbers that I’ve seen and speaking to the loan recipients myself, this endeavor is a massive, massive success.
Loans start at a few hundred dollars and of the nearly $26 million that has been lent out so far, the payback rate is 96%. Yes, 96%!!!
As a result, these women are able to use this money to help send their kids to school, support their families, and raise their standard of living.
In this video that I shot a few weeks ago in Costa Rica, you’ll get a good understanding of just how these microloans are transforming lives.
THE PROSPERITY CAMPAIGN
From February 22nd until March 31st, Whole Foods is running its annual Prosperity Campaign where it is raising money from shoppers to grow the size of the Whole Planet Foundation.
What you can take comfort in is that your donation will not be used to fund big salaries at this non-profit.
100% of the money raised for the Prosperity Campaign will go directly to the microloan program, and Whole Foods pays entirely for all of the non-profit’s overhead.
Aside from collecting donations at the check-out registers, Whole Foods is also selling Whole Planet coffee tins from Allegro and $.30 per can sold will be donated to the foundation.
With a goal of raising $4.1 million, the Prosperity Campaign is collecting an astonishing $170,000 per day at its 310 stores in North America and the U.K.
One interesting aspect of the Whole Planet Foundation that I was unaware of is that it is now active in the U.S., making microloans to women entrepreneurs in New York, Omaha, and Indianapolis.
So, the next time you go to Whole Foods and are asked whether you want to contribute to the Whole Planet Foundation, please know that your $1, $2 or $10 donation will have a significant impact on the life of someone else.
The Whole Planet Foundation is doing fantastic work and it is an organization that I care deeply about.
