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A Tradition of Giving Back

Whole Earth Provision Co. has been giving back to our community and beyond for over 50 years. Some events, like the Bat Baby Shower for Bat Conservation International in 1991, and more recently the Oboz Trail Experience and Patagonia Film Nights combined fun and fundraising. We've also had successful fund drives over the years to help victims of floods and earthquakes both locally and in Nepal and the Philippines. And events supporting Texas State Parks, Texas Land Conservancy as well as our New Toy and Kids' Book Drive for the holidays now take place annually. The generosity of our customers through the years has been truly inspiring and has helped to make life better for generations of Texans. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Black Outside, Inc.

In 2024, we had two film nights supporting Black Outside Inc., one at our San Antonio store and the other in Austin at North Lamar. The events benefited Black Outside Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit in San Antonio that connects Black youths to nature programs like Bloom Project, Brothers with the Land, and Camp Founder Girls. Their core values are: Explore Self. Explore Culture. Explore Outdoors!

In San Antonio, Whole Earth and Patagonia joined forces to present a very special evening of film and discussion. The film Blackwaters - Brotherhood in the Wild told the stories of five black men who have found grace, success, and the joy of fly fishing in the great outdoors. These five men include Jahmicah Dawes of Slim Pickins Outfitters and Alex Bailey, Founder and Executive Director of San Antonio's Black Outside Inc. After the film, there was a discussion on the Black experience in the outdoors and fly fishing.

 In April, we had a showing of Founder Girls, a film that traces the history of Camp Founder Girls in San Antonio back to its origin in 1924. It was one of the first summer overnight camps for black girls in the country. The film follows the impact the camp has had over the years in building confidence and pride in young black girls that has lasted a lifetime. In the summer of 2019, Black Outside Inc. proudly resurrected the camp which is now going strong once again.

Whole Earth was proud to support Black Outside Inc. for consideration for a grant by Patagonia. We were even more pleased when Patagonia chose them for a $15,000 grant!

Our Fiesta Medal and Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation

Our 2024 Fiesta Medal benefited Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, an organization that has been saving lives since 1977 - 47 years! The medal itself highlights a wildflower wreath, a rising Earth, a dangling armadillo and the iconic smokestacks at our Alamo Quarry Market store. The Fiesta medal was sold exclusively at our San Antonio store.

The proceeds from the sale of the 2024 Fiesta Medals helped to sustain the work of Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation: rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing native wildlife and providing sanctuary, individualized care, and a voice for other animals in need. In a year, they can care for over 10,000 animals and respond to more than 17,000 inquiries and calls for help. WRR rescues and cares for all wildlife, including native and non-native species. They believe that all animals — rare or common, regardless of species — are deserving of care, attention, and respect.

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation's rescue hotline can be reached at (830) 336-2725 and is available to provide advice and assistance for animals in need and answer questions about wildlife. You can also visit WRR's website for more information and resources.

April Is Texas State Parks Month

Thirteen years ago when our Texas State Parks were facing budget cuts and even the threat of some Park closures, Whole Earth created April is Texas State Parks Month. We combined the proceeds from our Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour shows in Austin with an in-store fund drive. In 2024, Whole Earth customers raised $23,000, bringing the 13-year total of funds raised for the Parks to over $317,800! These funds have been used to help with day-to-day Park operational expenses, including visitor programs, maintaining Park facilities, and printing 1,234,170 trail maps for 70 of the 88 Texas State Parks!

In 2025, the Banff Mountain Festival World Tour shows will be returning to the Paramount Theatre in Austin. Two shows featuring different films, one an afternoon matinee and the other an evening show are scheduled for Saturday. March 22nd. Ticket sales information will be coming soon. We hope you'll be able to join us for adrenaline-fueled outdoor sports films and those showcasing mountain cultures from around the world, selected from the best films at the 2024 Banff Mountain Film Festival in Banff, Canada.  Proceeds from the shows will support our Texas State Parks and be combined with the funds raised in the 2025 April Is Texas State Park Month drive in our stores.

Texas Land Conservancy

This November, Merrell sponsored a generous giveback for the Texas Land Conservancy. For each pair of adult Merrell shoes purchased at Whole Earth, Merrell donated $10 to the Conservancy. Their total donation was $1050! And new this year was an opportunity for four lucky winners to have a catered Picnic at TLC  properties near Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.   

The Texas Land Conservancy (TLC) is an organization dear to our hearts. It was founded in 1982 by Ned Fritz, known as the father of Texas conservation. Responding to the encroachment of development on natural areas in Texas, Fritz decided there was a need for a land trust that would take on the preservation of small but important properties that were not large enough to be saved by other organizations. Using conservation easements TLC has preserved the physical and ecological integrity of wildlife habitat, native plant communities and scenic landscapes across the state. Over 158,880 acres are now protected thanks to TLC.

Most of the property protected by the Texas Land Conservancy is not open to the public. Conservation easements limit development and provide for restoration and land management, but the land still remains in private hands. However, TLC has four preserves that are open to the public. Throughout the year, some of the other protected properties are open to the public with guided hikes.

Oboz Trail Experience

We teamed up with the Hill Country Conservancy to bring you the Oboz Trail Experience. Oboz sponsors Trail Experiences in outdoor-loving communities across the country. The Austin event has been very successful since its inception in 2021.  Briefly, folks sign up as individuals or teams and hike as many of the official trails as possible during the month of October. A surprising number have completed all the trails, including segments of HCC's Violet Crown Trail. 

The participants received swag from Oboz and Whole Earth, plus other rewards that were unlocked by completing promoted trail segments throughout the Experience. Hikers who completed trail segments were also entered into a drawing to win one of five pairs of Oboz boots! Some trails were old friends. Others may have been new. It was an excellent opportunity to get outdoors in October and experience trails throughout Central Texas. There were also two gatherings for participants to meet one another - launch and post parties that were both well attended. 

Hill Country Conservancy 

We've teamed up with the Hill Country Conservancy for several events this year. You may know them best as the group that spearheaded the creation of the Violet Crown Trail. Hill Country Conservancy was formed in 1999 to preserve – forever – large strategic tracts of open space that conserve critical water features, preserve outdoor recreation opportunities, and help maintain the Hill Country’s unique quality of life in the Barton Springs Aquifer region. They currently manage 40,000 acres of conservation easements.

In 2023, Whole Earth joined forces with Patagonia for a Film Night fundraiser at the HCC's Nalle Bunny Run Nature Preserve on Lake Travis. We had such a good time that we hope to host another event like this in 2025.

Austin Sunshine Camps  

In November, we had a Patagonia Film Night fundraiser for the Austin Sunshine Camps at the Zilker Lodge in Zilker Park. Good food and drink plus films under the stars made for a memorable evening. The Austin Sunshine Camps have been quietly serving our Austin community for almost 100 years. The Camps were founded in 1928 by the Young Men’s Business League of Austin in response to the threat of youth tuberculosis. The original camp created a place where disadvantaged children could gain weight, grow strong, and enjoy the sunshine, important elements in the prescription of the times for curing tuberculosis. The camps have now served more than 52,000 of Austin's low-income youth and those in surrounding towns and counties by providing the only free overnight summer camp in Central Texas.

In recent years, the camp has been extended to ten days and nine nights as well as sponsoring year-round family activities. There are two Austin Sunshine Camps. The Zilker Park camp serves ages 8 to 11 while the Lake Travis location at Turkey Bend Recreation Area serves ages 12 to 15. Activities at both camps include swimming in either Barton Springs or the lake, canoeing, nature study, hikes, arts and crafts, sports and games, and a challenge course with elements including a team wall and high rope elements. Family programming during the school year includes day camps, weekend camps, and family nights to engage as many Sunshine camper families as possible. The camps currently serve about 250 campers throughout the summer. The woods and fields surrounding the camps as well as the Science and Nature Center located in Zilker Park help the children to learn to care for the environment and the Earth's creatures.

New Toy and Kids' Book Drive 

From November 14th through December 8th, Whole Earth is sponsoring the New Toy and Kids’ Book Drive. For the 13th year, we're collecting new toys and books for children who, through no fault of their own, might not receive gifts for the holidays. Your generosity will provide children in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio with presents to brighten their day. Both Whole Earth and the charitable organizations that distribute the gifts were very grateful for the donations.

The toys and books were distributed by these organizations: in Austin – Manos de Cristo; in Dallas – Bryan's House; in Houston – Star of Hope Mission; and in San Antonio – The Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas. To everyone who donated to our New Toy and Kids' Book Drive, we're happy to announce that over 950 children have had a brighter holiday. Thank you for your generosity!

During the year, we also had events offsite and in our stores with climbing gyms, and groups like Latino Outdoors, Explore Austin, Connect and Hike, The Shoal Creek Conservancy, and Texas Folklife. We're looking forward in 2025 to hosting more events in our stores and in support of organizations that benefit our communities. You can check our Events Calendar to learn more. We hope you'll join us for fun and good company.