🎧 This week’s podcast episode featured Cole Riley of Wellfare, a non-profit on a mission to solve food insecurity and spread wellness for all.
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Wellfare partners with DTC food brands like Four Sigmatic, Banza, and Bob’s Red Mill to provide healthier options to those in need. Over the last year, Wellfare has delivered nearly $12M worth of healthy food products to its community – for free.
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This episode is a masterclass in non-profits and how to start and scale companies that truly make a difference in the world. 🌎
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The Takeaways: 👇
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📦 Misconceptions about non-profits:
There’s a big misconception that non-profits need to play small – that they’re only meant to serve small problems in small communities.
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“I think that non-profits can be a lot grander and a lot more impactful than we believe them to be. I think that if they take the principles of scaling [used by] for-profits and the greatest startups in the past 10-20 years… non-profits can be an incredible vehicle to solve the problems that have been plaguing our society… There’s so much opportunity for non-profits going forward.”
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While Wellfare started out serving the community in Bushwick, Brooklyn (a food desert and one of the largest public housing districts in New York City) they won’t stop there...
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They’re currently developing operations and procedures with hopes to scale their service nationally. 🚀
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🌿 Healthy gateway foods:
In Bushwick, for every one grocery store, there are 31 junk-filled corner stores where almost all the food products are excessively high in sugar, salt, and fat — major contributors to diseases that are prevalent in low-income communities across the country.
“We felt there was a need for a problem that seemed to be present forever: access to healthy food that is priced affordably.”
Wellfare is solving this issue by donating healthy “gateway foods” to those in need (think chickpea pasta, plant-based protein powder, and grass-fed jerky).
Why not just kale and Brussel sprouts? 🌱
By donating convenient foods that are also nutritious, Welfare makes it easier to eat healthy for those that might be more accustomed to packaged goods!
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📦 Creating a win-win situation:
Non-profits are clearly a win for consumers. They’re able to price expensive products lower to make them more affordable (or free) for families in need.
But Wellfare is also making their partnerships a win for brands, too. 🙌
They’ve streamlined their operations to make it extremely easy for CPG companies to work with them. They also go above and beyond with their marketing efforts – taking photos for the brands, creating campaigns, posting on social media, and spreading the word about their products.
This creates a lasting relationship that benefits Wellfare, its partners, and most importantly, those in need.\
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