135 Advocates Join the Poverty is Unnecessary Project

The Poverty Is Unnecessary Project includes Poverty Is Unnecessary Fund members donating $25,000 each to alleviate global poverty, and the Poverty Is Unnecessary Benefit & Auction that will celebrate the impact of this work by Whole Planet Foundation and its many supporters.

This year’s generous Poverty Is Unnecessary Fund partners contributing $25,000 each are Alaffia, Cedar’s Foods, Dr. Praeger’s Purely Sensible Foods, Health-Ade Kombucha, Honest Tea, KeVita, Pact, Stacy’s, TAZO, The Republic of Tea and Tony’s Chocolonely.

In addition, Mayor of the City of Austin, Steve Adler, has proclaimed October 25th as Poverty is Unnecessary Day! Whole Planet Foundation’s Poverty Is Unnecessary Benefit & Auction in Austin on October 25 is made possible by event support from Presenting Sponsor The Coca-Cola Company's natural brands Hubert’s Lemonade, Topo Chico, Zico Coconut Water, Honest Tea, Blue Sky, Hansen’s, Simply Orange Juice, Odwalla, smartwater and vitaminwater, Platinum Sponsors Network Services Company and Yin Yang Naturals, Gold Sponsors Cedar’s Foods, Frontier Co-op, Pact and Seventh Generation, Silver Sponsors Evolve and Gallagher Basset, and Bronze Sponsors Boulette, Golden and Marin, Chobani, Cool River Consulting, Papyrus-Recycled Paper Greetings, Primal Kitchen, Sambazon, Skout and Urban Betty.  All proceeds from the event will fund microcredit loans for impoverished entrepreneurs around the world.

Event partners include Capital Printing, Fair Market, GetAway2Give, Jetter Photography, Kimo Sabe Mezcal, Moontower Rentals, Swing City Auction Company and auctioneer Phillip Pierceall, Revolution Spirits, Rock N Roll Rentals, Texas International Wine Competition and Whim Hospitality.

Big Board auction items are Seven Nights in Costa Rican Paradise donated by Laura Merritt and J.P. Kloninger, a Weber grill and Kettle Pizza set from Cedar’s Foods, an Honest Tea-branded bike, a KeVita-branded wooden paddleboard, a Kimo Sabe Mezcal private happy hour with education and appetizers for 16 guests, a Weber Grill and condiments from Sir Kensington’s, GetAway2Give’s vacation stay in Miami, Florida, a Revolution Spirits local partner gift basket and private tasting and tour for 10 guests, a Seventh Generation Ultimate Laundry Basket including a new washer and dryer with a year's laundry detergent, and a Texas Longhorns Home Game Football Package including four game tickets with hospitality passes and parking by presenting sponsor The Coca-Cola Company's natural brands.  

Silent auction partners include ACURE, ADM, Adel Young, Adelman Travel, Alaffia, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, ATXcursions, Avis/Budget, Austin Weird Homes Tour, Aveda Institute, Barnana, Beauty by Dial: Jessica Sanchez, Better Bites, Cedar’s Foods, Clear Space, CLEAN Cause, Claire Sommers Buck Jewelry, Core Power Yoga, Daniel Zoltani, Do Better Life, Divine Chocolate, Elena Sprick, FitBit, Franzetti Jewelers, Freestyle Language Center, Genie Bolduc, Glenda Flanagan, Guardia Vieja, Health-Ade Kombucha, High Brew Coffee, Honest Tea, Jennifer Hoger Acupuncture, Joy Stoddard, Kendra Scott, KeVita, Kristen Saksa Juen Ceramics, Kristi Willis, Lacquer, LA LO LA Clothing, LaGina Harris, Lauren Reynolds Photography, Lively Up Your Breath, Michelle Hagerty, Network Services Company, Olivia Hayden, Organized for Good, ONLY by Nina Fitzgerald, ME to WE Chocolate, Kimo Sabe Mezcal, Pact, Pacha Soap Co., Palo Popcorn, Papyrus-Recycled Paper Greetings, Philip Sansone, Primal Kitchen, Raven & Lily, Revolution Spirits, Saving Face Boutique, Scott White, Senders Receive, Seventh Generation, Slow North, SMASHMALLOW, Sportsman’s Finest, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Stellar Winery, Sway, the Texas International Wine Competition with Master of Oenology Bonnie Villacampa, Theresa Haddow, The Republic of Tea, The San Antonio Spurs, The Seaweed Bath Co., Tiff’s Treats, Tony’s Chocolonely, Urban Betty and Wanderlust Yoga.  Whole Planet Foundation team members Brian Doe, Olivia Hayden, Claire Kelly, J.P. Kloninger, Victor Quiroz, Zoe So, Joy Stoddard and Daniel Zoltani collected special artisan items from around the globe while travelling for Whole Planet Foundation. 

The party for a purpose menu inspired by microcredit client recipes is created by Executive Chef Jesse Genovese of Whim Hospitality, with beverages and treats by Better Bites, Blue Sky, Divine Chocolate, Honest Tea, Hubert’s Lemonade, Kimo Sabe Mezcal, Lively Up Your Breath, Real Ale, Revolution Spirits, Sambazon, smartwater, the Texas International Wine Competition, Topo Chico, Tony’s Chocolonely, Unreal, and vitaminwater.

Gift bag contributors include Cedar’s Foods, Cesar Vargas, Frontier Co-Op, Freestyle Language Center, Go Raw, KeVita, Mad Hippie, Novolex, Nona Lim, Pacha Soap Co., Pact, Papyrus-Recycled Paper Greetings, Primal Kitchen, RXBAR, Sambazon, SeaSnax, Simply Orange Juice, Skout, SMASHMALLOW, The Seaweed Bath Co., Topo Chico and Whole Foods Market.

A performance by Cesar Vargas and Salsa dancers and lounge music by DJ Ang are sure to delight attendees.  Can’t make it to the party with a purpose? Make your donation to Whole Planet Foundation and join The Poverty Is Unnecessary Project today.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online. Those who cannot attend but want to join the project can visit wholeplanetfoundation.org to make a one-time or monthly contribution.

Please join Whole Planet Foundation at Fair Market in Austin, Texas on October 25 to party with a purpose at this Annual Benefit & Auction, or learn more about how The Poverty Is Unnecessary Project is alleviate global poverty together through microcredit at wholeplanetfoundation.org.