A social enterprise company, Just B – B Just, is a program of the Lodestar Day Resource Center located on the Human Services Campus in Phoenix. The innovative non-profit organization is known to be a national model for ending homelessness and as of Monday, July 2, 2012 the social enterprise company has moved into a major retail outlet. Just B products that until now have been sold at mainly at farmer’s markets are now available at the Whole Foods Market located at Tatum and Shea in Phoenix with plans to get the product into all five Arizona stores, and hopefully nationwide.
“We are very excited,” remarked Mike Tapscott, Special Projects Manager for Just B. “We have a great, high quality products and the company is run almost entirely by formerly homeless individuals. Through this social enterprise, we allow people to create their own solutions to end their homelessness.”
Jessica Berg, Executive Director the Lodestar Day Resource Center, hopes that the Whole Foods partnership is just the beginning – as more products are sold, and revenues increase, Just B will be able to hire more people looking to end their homelessness. “All of us at Just B – B Just, the Lodestar Day Resource Center, and the Human Services Campus are thrilled about our new partnership with Whole Foods. It is exactly that – a partnership. Whole Foods is now helping us with sustainable solutions to ending homelessness. I’m incredibly proud of the innovative, collaborative work we do on this 12-acre Campus, but we know we can’t do it alone. Homelessness is a community challenge, and we need the community to help us make progress. Whole Foods is an example of socially responsible business, and we are honored that they want to help us get the word out about our work. Now, every time someone buys one of our beauty products at Whole Foods, that individual is helping to end homelessness. We couldn’t be happier.”
Michael Tapscott, the managing director of the Just B program said “Food, water and shelter restore health, but the pride and dignity from a job well done restores life.”
