WHITE PONY EXPRESS

There is so much material wealth in America that no one needs to go to bed without proper food, clothing, or shelter. And yet in our state of California, a state so wealthy that it has the fifth-largest economy in the world, an estimated four-and-a-half million people—more than a third of the state’s population—are either at or near the poverty level.

There is a simple solution that can end the problems of hunger and marginalization for good—a new paradigm: voluntary shared abundance. In this model of life, responsibility for helping the family of man is assumed by everyone, or in the phrase the White Pony Express often uses, “All of us taking care of all of us.” To support and nurture this new paradigm, this idea sprang to mind: “to enable those who have more than they need to easily give it to those with less, so that all can share in the happiness and abundance of life.”

This new paradigm will not come about through fresh organizations of bureaucracy, carved from limited mental understandings and resources. Nor will it come through charitable, philanthropic giving, which perpetuates marginalization by reinforcing the notion of “have” and “have not”. It comes through spontaneous service to life, where each one helps each one in the one family of man.

White Pony Express is creating a new paradigm for solving mankind’s age-old problem of marginalization, hunger, and want. Our model, or something like it, is already being used by individuals and groups in communities from New York to San Francisco, many of whom have never heard of the White Pony Express— they discovered the paradigm on their own. That is what is supposed to happen! We hope that gradually—and before too long!—this paradigm will be adopted by Americans everywhere as our way forward toward the realization of the basic unity of all life.

Our current organizational objective is to position White Pony Express to successfully manage and integrate the growth it has experienced since the onset of the pandemic and to prepare for the anticipated growth to come in 2022 and 2023.

To meet the objective, our strategy is to continue to enhance, grow, and improve WPE’s infrastructure using best practices to attain a ‘gold standard’ operation that can be easily replicated.

Programmatic Objectives
To inaugurate the Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) program and engage at least 200 active users on the app by 2023.
To develop a new model for clothing and goods that is aligned with the food rescue model and enables pre-pandemic distribution levels.
Customer/Constituent Objectives
To increase volunteer base by 20% by 2023.
To actively participate in and influence the public policy arena related to Senate Bill 1383.
Financial Objectives
To increase financial and in-kind donations by 15% by 2023.
To align accounting and financial management with industry best practices.
Internal/Operational Objectives
To increase efficiency through integrated data and improved technology, including deploying a new CRM, by 2023.
To expand targeted communication among our various audiences to achieve respective and specific goals.

WPE will define, plan, and execute on the organization’s naturally occurring growth in every phase of its business, including:
• Program development
• Financial management and reporting
• Integrated data system and improved technology
• Increased donor funds and in-kind donations

To meet our goals, WPE capabilities include an experienced staff, 400 volunteers, a strong board of directors, a robust balance sheet, and long-term food donor partners to sustain our growth trajectory.

In just 8 years, our small but mighty team of 17 staff, dedicated volunteers, and 10 vehicles have rescued and delivered 18 million pounds of fresh, high-quality food—enough for more than 15 million meals! This nutritious food has been diverted from landfills, preventing 303+ tons of greenhouse gas production. WPE has distributed 700,000+ items of clothing, shoes, books, and educational toys. Through our partners, and powered by 400+ volunteers, our growing circle of giving serves 120,000+ people in our community annually.
Specifically, our progress has included:
- Holding 34+ Mobile Boutique events,
- Distributing 700,000+ clothing items, toys, and books.
- Building a base of 400+ community volunteers.
- Partnering with 100+ food, toy, and clothing donors.
- Partnering with 80+ nonprofits, through whom we serve 120,000 neighbors in need.
- Having no space to having 5-year leases for warehouses aggregating 9,000 sq. ft in Pleasant Hill, CA.