Celebrating the Life of Gary Conner 

(November 13, 1946 – May 21, 2022)

Our visionary friend, Gary Conner, completed the work of his very full life on May 21 in the loving company of his family and friends.

Gary established the White Pony Express (WPE) voluntary service model by his own example, working day and night to deliver food to those in need. Gary brought to every task, large or small, his characteristic boundless optimism, focused energy, and good cheer.

Gary’s friends and co-workers recall his untiring commitment to serving the community through WPE. He was the one who always said yes.

“He was the rocket that launched WPE.

His life force was the fuel.”

The WPE Model is Spreading

Thanks to our partnership with Women Forward International (WFI), the White Pony Express team was in Mexico visiting vegan restaurants that are inviting patrons to “pay it forward” to support their hungry neighbors. The purchased meals are picked up by volunteers and delivered to villages and shelters – It's "all of us taking care of all of us" in action!

In early July, WFI will bring the Mexican Association of Vegan Entrepreneur's Mesa Redonda team to our Distribution Center in California. During the visit, WPE will share volunteer engagement and awareness-raising strategies, safety policies and practices, and innovative approaches to food recovery.

In the words of Kent Davis-Packard, founder and president of WFI:

“The collaboration between WPE and their Mexican counterpart demonstrates the power of cross-border partnership to alleviate food insecurity and contribute to social equality. It also provides an example of a new paradigm of philanthropy that is based on love and human unity.”

Join us in welcoming our guests in early July – on SM or as a volunteer!

You're Invited!

WPE Has a New Director of Operations!

Please join us in congratulating Gary Bostick on his new role as Director of Operations. Gary has held key positions at WPE and has consistently activated and inspired the team and deepened our impact. Today he is defining and implementing operational policies and executing new growth directives, including sharing the WPE model with other jurisdictions. Gary institutes safety measures, training, and new protocols, and proactively requests feedback and support from outside experts to ensure we are doing our best for our staff and volunteers. WPE is poised to realize our vision of a unified, hunger-free Contra Costa County with this incredible team and community!

In the Spring of 2020, when the country was in the initial grips of the pandemic, Chris Stieger wanted to brighten the long days of those diligently serving the community. Chris loves gardening and flower arranging and knew her friends Phyllis and Reid Edwards could obtain flowers through their volunteer work at White Pony Express.

Using jars donated by friends and neighbors, greenery from their yards, and flowers from WPE, Chris and her friends Denise, Donna, Marie, and Lynn, have donated approximately 1,600 bouquets to employees at hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, schools, vaccination clinics, a vet clinic, and an animal shelter.

The "flower team" loves getting together in Chris' backyard to create bouquets, hoping they will make someone's day a little brighter.

The White Pony Express School Pantry Program is a community-building, easy-to-replicate model. It’s like a grocery store at school where hungry families can shop for fresh, healthy food free of charge with warm fellowship, recipe-sharing, and solidarity – no questions asked.

Since the first WPE School Pantry opened in 2015, we have delivered over 3 million meals to schools across the county. Today we have 14 active School Pantries. We recently welcomed three Golden Gate Community School campuses in Richmond, Pittsburg, and Brentwood, and the Boys and Girls Club of Martinez. WPE is also supporting our 2nd school-based culinary program, which provides the ingredients needed for students to learn about and appreciate healthy eating.

We work with our school partners to ensure that students and their families are provided with fresh food during the school year, on holidays, and throughout the summer. When students and their families do not have to worry about where their next meal will come from, they experience an increased capacity to learn and improvements in behavior, attendance, community participation, health and wellness, and extracurricular engagement.

When they thrive, we thrive!

Sustaining the Vision

By Jim May, WPE Board Treasurer

Do you believe in the vision of White Pony Express? Stated briefly, it is: “All of us taking care of all of us.”

I do.

That’s why I moved here from the East Coast in January of 2018 to serve as CFO and then Treasurer of the WPE Board of Directors. In these roles, I have watched the incredible growth of our organization, fueled by the tireless, selfless service of now over 400 volunteers. Financially, our growth is largely due to the WPE story itself, which has inspired many local grantors to invest in our mission. However, grants, although needed, only last for a short period.

So, as Treasurer, I often ask myself, “Is this sustainable? Can the WPE love story play on?” The answer is: it can! Together we can sustain this pioneering vision – One effective way to do it is through Legacy Giving. I have seen organizations thrive for decades because they built up reserve funds or endowments to see them through hard economic times, emergencies, and ambitious innovation. These gifts were left by donors who wanted to sustain the work they believed in.

Because I want to sustain the WPE love story, I recently pledged my own legacy gift. I hope you will consider joining me by including WPE in your estate plans. Help make “all of us taking care of all of us” a living legacy that supports and uplifts the lives of our community members for years to come. It’s one thing to say you have provided for your family of direct descent; it’s another thing altogether to say you have provided for our one human family!

To learn more, please visit this page or contact Peter Brooks at peter@whiteponyexpress.org.