2020 COG PLAYBOOK - CHAPTER 3
Our “circle of giving” is a model whereby surplus food & goods are picked up and delivered to neighbors in need, with love, through acts of selfless service. Join with us as we share our community “playbook,” and rise to raise the $500,000 needed to keep the channels of service flowing and our organization strong!
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CHAPTER 3: DONATION PARTNERS
It's all possible through contributions from people like you!
The third chapter in our Circle of Giving Playbook is all about our donation partners!
White Pony Express is blessed to receive thousands of product donations from partners large and small. Every donation, from a coat to a pallet of food, brings security, warmth, and delight to the neighbors who need it most.
From Starbucks to Safeway to partnerships with local farms—our quick-turnaround on food deliveries enables us to offer the freshest food available. Apples picked in the morning are on tables and in lunch boxes by noon!
Below are heart-warming examples of our donation partners supporting WPE so that WPE, in turn, can support our most vulnerable neighbors. All of us taking care of all of us—around we go!
Here are 4 donation partners from the White Pony Food Rescue and General Store programs who embody the enthusiastic spirit of the 200+ partners who have joined our circle of giving—all donating food and clothing as an expression of love.
WPE Donation Food Rescue Partner: Imperfect Foods
Imperfect Foods Sustainability Manager Rose Hartley says, "Every week White Pony Express partners with us to help eliminate food waste, curb climate change, and build a better food system through redistributing foods to those in need. We entrust White Pony Express with these food items, knowing that the responsiveness and caring collaboration they show us is mirrored in all their partnerships . . . White Pony Express is an essential part of the fabric that helps hold the food system together and ensures food access for vulnerable populations in Contra Costa County and beyond.”
LEFT: Partner George from My Angels receives an Imperfect Food delivery from WPE for redistribution to their community. On this day, more than 2,000 of our friends were served.
WPE Donation Food Rescue Partner:
CoCo San Sustainable Farm
Coco San Sustainable Farm's President Carolyn Phinney, Ph.D. says, "We are an all-volunteer non-profit, growing free food for others. However, we don’t distribute what we grow. We rely on other non-profits, especially White Pony Express, to work out those logistics. They have the most effective operation for our needs. We have worked with other distributors, but they can’t deliver what we grow as fast as WPE, so we now almost exclusively donate to WPE and they will be our primary partner for distribution as we grow and expand.”
LEFT: WPE Dispatcher Alex receives an in-kind donation from Coco San Sustainable Farm; RIGHT: Carolyn Phinney, President of Coco San Sustainable Farm
WPE Donation Goods Partner:
Dena Designs
Dena Designs lovingly provided 100 pieces of adorable children’s clothing to the White Pony General Store. The outfits are high-quality and will delight parents and children alike as boys and girls dazzle in their darling new threads!
Dena Designs donated nearly 100 pieces of adorable and high-quality children’s clothing.
WPE Donation Goods Partner: Soles4Souls
Soles4Souls is an amazing friend to WPE! They help us access surplus and overstock items to provide to the unsheltered neighbors in our community. From supporting ongoing initiatives like our Cold Weather Clothing Project (including fun "Notes in the Coats") to providing shoes, socks, and boots for wildfire survivors, to offering beautiful women’s coats from Macy’s, we could not ask for a partner truer to our mission.
A happy recipient with his snug pint-size jacket. Macy's employees created and stuffed "Notes in the Coats" as part of our Cold Weather Clothing Project. These surprise love notes hidden in pockets lifted spirits and brought joy to hundreds of children.
Over $7 million in food and donated goods are relayed through WPE to our neighbors in need each year. These gifts are the catalyst for our circle of giving and help propel us all forward. Our mission is to receive and then lovingly distribute these goods as quickly as possible to friends in need.
As a largely volunteer-powered organization, supported by food and product partnerships, we have low overhead. Your contributions go right to work changing lives. For every $1,000 invested in the community through White Pony Express, we can deliver $4,000 worth of food and goods: a 400% return on investment!