Submitted by: Whole Foods Market
How would you spend $275? Would this money impact the rest of your life?
For Yuma, a Whole Planet Foundation microfinance credit recipient in Tanzania, $275 helped her rent a storefront, build a counter and purchase a refrigerator, which helped her expand her store’s inventory. $275 made her business sustainable and profitable, so she and her five-year-old son can live a better life.
Learn more about Yuma’s story and other entrepreneurs’ stories here.
Whole Planet Foundation was borne out of Whole Foods Market’s desire to give something back with a focus on the persistent problem of world poverty and hunger. Whole Planet Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization established by Whole Foods Market. The foundation provide grants to microfinance institutions in Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East, who in turn develop and offer microenterprise loan programs, training and other financial services to the self-employed poor.
This March, every Whole Foods Market across the county, including Bellingham, will be fundraising for Whole Planet Foundation to alleviate poverty in regions Whole Foods Market sources products. One hundred percent of funds raised through customer donation and vendor support will benefit entrepreneurs across 69 countries and 15 U.S. cities. As entrepreneurs grow their businesses, they repay the loans. Whole Planet Foundation’s microfinance partners around the globe have a 97 percent repayment rate, which proves the impact of the foundation’s work.
Whole Foods Market team members have an opportunity each year to travel abroad with Whole Planet Foundation to meet microcredit loan recipients and help with community service projects. To date, 671 have volunteered in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, Togo and the United States since 2007!
To support Whole Planet Foundation’s fundraising campaign in March, visit Whole Foods Market in Bellingham, which is located at the corner of Lakeway and Lincoln. The store is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sales, coupons, events and more are available at wfm.com/bellinghamlakeway.
Written by Olivia Yates
