On May 1st, White Pony Express (WPE) celebrated a major milestone: delivering 15 million pounds of fresh, nutritious food to neighbors in need across Contra Costa County. We celebrated by hosting a drive-thru giveaway that served over 400 families – with love! The event took place in Concord at Mount Diablo High School, which proved to be the perfect location for offering trunkful’s of free food, clothing, board games, sweets, and flowers; along with live music and ribbon dancing under balloon chandeliers! We also applauded WPE’s beloved 400+ volunteers who make the magic happen 364 days a year.
Keynote speakers at the inaugural ceremony included California's Chief Service Officer, Josh Fryday; Director of CalRecycle, Rachel Machi Wagoner; Concord Mayor, Tim McGallian; President of the Governing Board of Education, Cherise Khaund; and WPE’s Founder, Dr. Carol Weyland Carol Conner.
Over 1,000 of our community members received 28,500 pounds of fresh, healthy groceries and 2,500 items of high-quality clothing. As cars entered the event, they were greeted by music and dancing and handed chocolates and flowers. Each car was assigned a number, and orders were taken by volunteers that delivered the correct clothing sizes to each family member. There were eight gift stations where families received an assortment of necessities and luxuries.
As our Founder, Dr. Carol Weyland Conner, said at the event, “White Pony Express rushes ahead in the vanguard to deliver the good news and spread the abundance of life that follows it. White Pony Express is built on the understanding that – in this beautiful world we share – love knows all, does all, and is the most powerful force in the universe.”
Since the event, White Pony Express has reached 17 million pounds of fresh food rescued and delivered, amounting to 13.5 million meals, and saved 670,000 pounds (303 tons!) of CO2 from polluting our air. The White Pony General Store has distributed 700,000 clothing items, educational toys, and books to schools, shelters, senior centers, and other agencies. WPE looks forward to more ground-breaking moments alongside our brothers and sisters in the Bay Area, sharing the abundance, and living our motto: all of us taking care of all of us!