When we went into our local grocery store a few days back we noticed this sign* that told us that Whole Foods is currently promoting its Whole Planet Foundation which aims to create economic partnerships through microcredit with the poor in communities that supply Whole Foods Market stores with products. The foundation will focus on the developing world. Their website reads:
The Whole Planet Foundation’s mission is to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing-world communities that supply our stores with product. Through innovative assistance for entrepreneurship – including direct microcredit loans and tangible support for other community partnership projects – we seek to unleash the energy and creativity of every human being we work with in order to create wealth and prosperity in emerging economies.
The program has been running for about a year but it’s the first time we saw it promoted in the store.
* Notice that the flyers stuffed under the sign sadly advertise some sort of libido health diet or something.
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That’s a cool concept, I just wish they would reach out to the communities around them. Or at least open some Whole Foods in the ghettos of America?
March 5th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
You should’ve grabbed the brochures and dumped them in the paper recycling bin.
Also, Whole Foods, like many major corporation except for the fast junk food companies, won’t invest in low income neighborhoods because the profits aren’t there.
March 7th, 2009 at 2:39 am
I think it depends on your neighborhood- My neighborhood in Cambridge is very mixed. The local Whole Foods is walking distance to 2 housing developments and employs a pretty diverse group of people. A young Muslim woman in a headscarf and hippy college students with dreads rang me up/bagged my groceries today
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:33 pm