Whole Foods Market Lives Its Core Values, Increases Employee Engagement Through Global Volunteer Program
By Jaimee Rondeau, Associate Coordinator of Marketing in the North Atlantic Region, Whole Foods Market
In 2010 I had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala for 30 days as part of Whole Foods Market’s Team Member Volunteer Program near Lake Atitlan, one of the most beautiful yet poorest regions of the country. Whole Foods Market launched its volunteer program in 2007 to give employees (called Team Members) the opportunity to witness the transformative power of microcredit in person and to volunteer alongside the community where Whole Foods Market sources products.
During my volunteer trip I learned about microfinance as a vehicle to alleviate poverty from Whole Planet Foundation’s partner Banrural Guatemala, met microcredit clients, provided community service, and toured the farms of Allegro Coffee, a supplier partner of Whole Foods Market and a donor to Whole Planet Foundation. There are many reasons I have been a Whole Foods Market Team Member for more than eight years, but certainly the most compelling to me is my company’s commitment to setting a standard much higher than the industry norm.
The scope of Whole Foods Market's business impact reaches beyond the brick and mortar walls of our stores to lend a hand up to impoverished entrepreneurs, mostly women, who are lifting themselves out of poverty and getting closer to the chance for prosperity. The profound impact of Whole Planet Foundation, through the lens of Whole Foods Market’s Core Value of supporting our local and global communities, brings this value to life, to people around the world. Fast forward from 2010 to now, and Whole Planet Foundation has funded more than 2,000,000 microloans to people in 69 countries.
Whole Foods Market aligns retail business priorities with local and global priorities. Providing the highest quality natural and organic food comes with a commitment to the culture providing that food. By creating economic partnerships in those developing-world communities that supply our stores with product, Whole Foods Market not only works to alleviate poverty, but also inspires Team Members to understand this commitment through first-hand experiences.
To learn more about how and why Whole Foods Market has supported 671 employees like Jaimee to volunteer in 14 countries in the last ten years, visit the Team Member Volunteer Program.
