In the words of Richard W. Gygi, Chairman, ThriftSmart :

After returning from Malawi in Sub-Saharan Africa with a group of business executives, I could still smell the stench of rotting flesh and see the images of starving women and children waiting to die. I had seen 1600 men, mostly inmates for life, starving to death on less than a half cup of food per day.

At night, they were herded into small concrete buildings, where they slept on a concrete floor, literally stacked on top of each other, as much as two or three bodies deep. The stench from human waste and rotting flesh was unbearable. Outside the prison gates were the wives and children of these men, waiting and begging for food. All were starving from the famine that raced through this country on an annual basis. These images left a permanent impact on my mind.

I knew I must do something.

Poverty, hunger, and joblessness are not only a problem for the poor in Africa, but a problem for the poor in the U.S. as well, as the ranks of unemployed refugees and immigrants grows in the U.S. Non-profit ministry organizations throughout the U.S. are trying to tackle this problem in a variety of ways, but there is a limited amount of financial resources in the non-profits to accomplish their mission.

The number of registered 501C-3 non-profit organizations grew from 626,225 to 1,045,979 during the ten years from 1995 to 2005, a 67% increase, which put more pressure on organizations to raise needed funds from limited resources. (Source: Giving USA 2006)

The number of registered non-profits has grown by 67%

According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy (January 11, 2007), “In the past decade the number of charities running businesses has exploded as organizations sought new sources of revenue…but as charities have gained more experience, they have come to realize that many of their expectations need to be tempered. Many business ventures take years to make money, and even when they do, the returns are often modest. Others never make a profit.”

Most charities simply don’t have the business experience and leadership to start up and run a business, while maintaining their focus on their mission. ThriftSmart has the experience and leadership needed, and believes it has a solution opportunity like no other in the country.