Whole Foods and Nature's Path Team up to Fight Poverty

Whole Foods Market's nonprofit Whole Planet Foundation is teaming up with Canadian supplier Nature's Path Organic Foods to help shoppers donate to fight global poverty.

Nature's Path is launching Love Crunch – a limited edition dark chocolate granola – exclusively at Whole Foods, and for every box sold, Nature's Path will donate $1 (up to $25,000) to the Whole Planet Foundation to help empower poor women around the world to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

"Kudos to Nature's Path for creating an easy way to donate and make a real difference in the fight against poverty," said Philip Sansone, Whole Planet Foundation's president and executive director. "By selecting this delicious product, shoppers will be directly helping the poor in the developing world to improve their own lives."

Inspired by a true-life love story and philanthropic endeavor, Love Crunch was created by Arjan Stephens, son of Nature's Path's founder, and his wife Rimjhim as a wedding favor for those who helped celebrate their marriage. In lieu of wedding gifts, the two asked guests volunteer in their communities and post photos on a project page which they aptly named "The Experience Giving Project." The result was countless acts of kindness in local communities worldwide.

"We at Nature's Path are so excited to see this project come to life as it is near and dear to our hearts," said Stephens. "By purchasing Love Crunch you can experience giving and help provide an opportunity for these women to lift themselves out of poverty and support their families."

According to Nature’s Path, Love Crunch “is a marriage between the whole grain goodness of flax granola, the sweetness of strawberries and the tartness of raspberries, and the decadence of coconut and dark chocolate chunks.” Like all Nature's Path products, it is USDA certified organic, which means it doesn't contain artificial preservatives, additives or synthetic pesticides. It also bears the new Non-GMO Project Verified Seal, which helps shoppers recognize products that meet rigorous genetically modified organism (GMO) avoidance practices.

Nature's Path is also hosting an Experience Giving contest to win a trip for two to India with Whole Planet Foundation to witness the transformative power of microcredit. To enter the contest, consumers can visit Nature's Path's Facebook page and enter their personal story of good works, then invite their friends to vote.

Established in 2005, the Foundation empowers the poor through microcredit in developing countries where Whole Foods buys products. To date, the Foundation has authorized more than $11.5 million and disbursed more than $9.5 million to microfinance institutions, reaching nearly 100,000 clients in 29 countries and has positively impacted more than half a million people worldwide.

The Foundation funds microcredit loans of $200 or less that require no collateral or contract to provide aide to the poorest of the poor with a focus on women wanting to finance self-employment projects that will generate income.

Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market's non-profit Whole Planet Foundation funds poverty alleviation through worldwide microfinance institution partners in developing communities where the company sources in Africa, Asia and Latin America.