White Pony Express Finalist for The San Francisco Foundation Innovation Award; Online voting 9/25

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Sept. 24, 2015 - PRLog -- White Pony Express (WPE), an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to helping eliminate hunger and poverty in Contra Costa County, has been named one of three finalists for the John R. May "Bold Idea" Innovation Award, a community choice award presented by The San Francisco Foundation, in partnership with KQED and Full Circle Fund.

With strategic support from Full Circle Fund, the top three finalists will share their bold ideas at the live Innovation Award Demo Day at the Bay Area Bold Summit, Yerba Buena Center, San Francisco, on Friday, September 25. Attendees of the summit will vote in real time. Viewers off-site will be able to watch the program through a live-stream and participate in live online voting during a fifteen-minute window between 6:00 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. PDT at www.bayareabold.org/vote/.

The winner with the most votes will receive a $20,000 grant from The San Francisco Foundation and a strategic workshop with Full Circle Fund that leverages the expertise of TSFF's joint Bay Area network. The winner will also be featured in a series of profiles on KQED television and radio.

Founded in September 2013 by Carol Weyland Conner, PhD, spiritual director of Sufism Reoriented, White Pony Express is the only food rescue and relay program solely dedicated to serving Contra Costa County. Because it delivers fresh food and targets deliveries to the daily needs of its recipients, its service has become wildly popular. Building on the demonstrated need that this kind of delivery system fulfills, last year, WPE created the Free General Store, which distributes new and gently used clothing, toys & books through its innovative free "Mobile Boutiques." All services are provided free of charge, and WPE’s growing circle of giving now includes 100+ food, toy, and clothing donors and 50+ local nonprofit service partners.

In just two years, WPE has:

• Rescued and delivered 2M lbs. of food—enough food to provide 1.6M meals

• Distributed 120,000 clothes, toys & books

• Held 30 mobile boutique events

• Built a base of 400+ volunteers

According to The San Francisco Foundation's website, the Bay Area has a history of innovating to win major victories of social and economic change. With the Innovation Award, "we continue in that spirit." The award recognizes organizations that are changing the world for the better in creative ways, with fresh ideas, new approaches, and pioneering efforts. The other two finalists are A Home Within and Human Tilth. Read more at You Choose the Winner.

The San Francisco Foundation, www.ssf.org

The San Francisco Foundation is an incubator for community investment, original ideas, and passionate leadership. Since 1948, the Foundation has been bringing together networks of philanthropists and civic leaders to support and build on the strengths of the community and make the Bay Area the best place it can be. The Foundation ranks among the nation’s largest community foundations in grantmaking and assets, cultivating a family of donors sharing a commitment to the Bay Area. Together, donors give millions of dollars a year to foster strong communities, respond to local needs, and elevate public awareness.

White Pony Express, www.whiteponyexpress.org

White Pony Express, WPE, is an all-volunteer organization headquartered in Walnut Creek. Through its Food Rescue Program and Free General Store, White Pony Express helps people move from the margins to the mainstream by providing free food and clothing. Carol Weyland Conner, PhD, spiritual director of Sufism Reoriented, founded White Pony Express in September 2013 when she discovered that many retail business owners would welcome a way to donate their surplus food and goods to neighbors in need if someone were able to pick up and deliver them. She developed White Pony Express and the Free General Store as free community service programs to enable those who have more than they need to easily give to those with less, so that all can share in the happiness and abundance of life. WPE is a qualified 501(c)(3) charity with 400+ dedicated volunteers.