Dear Friends,
Happy April! As you may have heard, we recently launched our ‘Say YES! to White Pony Express’ spring fundraiser, and I would like to personally thank each and every one of you who has donated. It’s you, our circle of supporters, who provide the energy and means for us to actualize our goal of ending hunger in our county and providing others with a template to end hunger in communities the world over. Your funds enable us to rescue and deliver the highest quality food, combatting rampant food insecurity and reducing the costs associated with chronic health conditions brought about by hunger and lack of access to nutritionally sufficient food. Your support also keeps thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the air we breathe. We have delivered more than 18 million meals, and with your continued support, we will deliver millions more.
Our goal is to raise $300,000 to expand our reach, effectively meeting a new wave of hunger among our neighbors in need who are reeling from inflation and the end of emergency food benefits. Everyone who says YES! to WPE will help the pony deliver. So please join us in saying YES! Donate today by visiting https://donorbox.org/say-YES!-to-white-pony-express and spread the word by sharing the link above.
In this edition of our newsletter, we’ll share stories from the last few weeks about collaborative partners and individuals who have said YES! to White Pony Express. I hope you enjoy it!
Very warmly,
Eve Birge
Executive Director
WPE Founder, Dr. Carol Weyland Conner, Presented with Soroptimist International Ruby Award for Helping Women & Girls
On April 8th, Dr. Carol Weyland Connor, founder of White Pony Express, was presented with the Ruby Award from the local chapter of Soroptimist International. Each year, a ceremony is held to celebrate women who have embodied Soroptimist principles of service, strength, and love. The Ruby Award honors women helping women – those who make extraordinary efforts to uplift the lives of women and girls in their community. This award is named after Ruby Lee Minar, the first president of the national Soroptimist organization.
White Pony Express Executive Director, Eve Birge, and close friend of WPE, Caroline Chiara, were present to accept the award on Dr. Connor’s behalf. According to Eve, “Love and laughter filled the room throughout the ceremony. Soroptimist provided a generous donation to WPE as part of their recognition. It was a privilege to be part of this heart-centered event, and an honor to accept the Ruby Award on behalf of Dr. Conner – an inspiration and example of selfless, loving service to all of us.”
Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary said YES! to White Pony Express!
We are so grateful to have a brand new, desperately needed, refrigerated transit van joining our herd! Thank you to Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary for taking the lead on raising funds to help us expand our reach and providing an answer to the growing need for healthy food across the Bay Area.
“I know I speak for the whole team when I say ‘thank you!’ to this remarkable club and District Rotary for a beautiful new addition to our fleet,” said WPE Chief Operations Officer, Merry Dempsey. “The need is great, and we are now better equipped to meet it. The truck has hit the road in the spirit of YES! Thank you, Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary, for saying YES! to White Pony Express!”
[Call Out] Want to help support our fleet? Say YES! to White Pony Express, just like Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary did. Your gift supports fleet maintenance, fuel, and more.
Volunteer Appreciation Month: IMPACT Diablo Valley Families Join Forces and Say YES! to Becoming Food Rescue Heroes for a Day
Volunteers are real-life heroes who dedicate their time to giving back to those in need. At White Pony Express, over 400 of these heroes come to help sort and distribute high-quality food, clothing, and other essential supplies for our neighbors in need. Earlier this month, we collaborated with nine volunteer families from IMPACT Diablo Valley who said YES! to White Pony Express by becoming Food Rescue Heroes for the day.
We named the event our ‘Family Food Rescue Takeover’ – a 1st of its kind! Families banded together in service and dedicated their morning to rescuing food and serving our hungry community members. The parents and children arrived right on time, enjoyed an animated orientation, and prepared to hit the road! Utilizing our Food Rescue Hero App and refrigerated transit vans, they stocked the vans with the specific foods requested by two WPE recipients: Landing Place in Antioch and Word of Life in Oakley. The runs took an hour to complete, and the IMPACT families delivered a total of 663 pounds of fresh, nutritious food to our neighbors in need.
Mindy Longo from IMPACT Diablo Valley shared, “As always, White Pony Express was amazing and helpful throughout the event, and having the teens working together to load the trucks was special to see. All of our families really enjoyed it! We look forward to partnering again and working in the General Store.”
“It was so fun to work with these families,” said WPE Senior Operations Manager Ana Bostick. “The children had great questions; seeing them fully present with the work was awesome. I enjoyed coordinating this event and saying YES! alongside everyone involved. Thank you to IMPACT Diablo Valley for collaborating with WPE and making our first Food Rescue Takeover a success. Your group delivered!”
Interested in saying YES! to White Pony Express by giving the gift of time? Please visit https://www.whiteponyexpress.org/volunteer.
On April 18th, White Pony Express was invited to speak at the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting in recognition of Food Waste Prevention Week to highlight the services and solutions we proudly bring to our neighbors in need across the Bay Area.
“Commemorating Food Waste Prevention Week is a collaborative effort among public and private sectors to bring awareness to reduce food waste, divert healthy food from landfills, and decrease food insecurity nationwide,” Executive Director Eve Birge stated during her presentation. “Did you know that we waste 40% of the food we produce? If we rescue 1/3 of that 40%, we eliminate hunger. A new California Bill, Senate Bill 1383, has placed the expectation on food distributors to use their excess food to feed hungry people. WPE is crucial to the success of this pioneering bill. We’ve launched a Food Rescue Hero app, an innovative way to engage with more volunteers and food donors to expand our reach and say YES! to the agencies currently on our waitlist.”
After Eve’s full statement, the Supervisors had the opportunity to respond. Among their replies, Supervisor Carlson stated, “Watching the efficiency of the operation is truly astounding. The way you bring all the volunteers together and get the work done is astounding. The food rescue – keeping food waste out of our landfills – is important to us and part of our sustainability plan. And so, a huge congratulations to all of you, an impressive operation, meeting a huge community need that I am personally grateful for.”
We’re thankful for the opportunity to work in partnership with these remarkable community leaders. To watch Eve’s full presentation and the feedback from other board members, follow this link or click on the video above and skip ahead to 1:43:25.
Are you ready to put your love into action to help us deliver the abundance around us and ensure no more individuals suffer from want? There are a number of ways you can get involved with White Pony Express today.
For more information about our Food Rescue Program, visit https://www.whiteponyexpress.org/food-rescue.
To support community members through the White Pony Express General Store, visit https://www.whiteponyexpress.org/free-general-store.
To offer a monetary gift of support, visit https://www.whiteponyexpress.org/donate-funds.
Or to share the gift of time, learn about volunteer opportunities by visiting https://www.whiteponyexpress.org/volunteer.