using the whole whale

“Use the whole whale.” 

This was a quote used in a breakout session I attended this week at the National Conference on Volunteerism and Service.  The session dealt with ways that nonprofits could partner with companies to achieve mutually beneficial goals.  The quote was used to highlight a paradigm shift in the way we think about resources.  Historically, when a nonprofit has approached a large company they do so hoping for a “partnership” which mostly means the nonprofit is looking for fresh cash.  Too often the scope of what they propose is narrowly focused on the money needed to achieve one specific goal.  I equate it to looking for a spouse based solely on their nasal features.  A potential spouse is much more than the nose on their face.

“Use the whole whale” comes from the way Inuit whale hunters utilized every part of the animal after a successful hunt.  Nothing went to waste.  This differed from the way commercial whaling fleets operated.  They would take the meat and blubber while leaving the rest.   They were so focused on one or two products that they missed the opportunities afforded by the rest of the whale.

D.C. Central Kitchen is a great example of the benefits of using the whole whale.  They are a nonprofit operating in our nation’s capitol.  Their tag line states, “Changing lives through meal service, culinary job training, street outreach, and the sustainable use of local resources.”  In a nutshell they serve 4,800 meals a day to low and no income families, children and individuals.  They began by offering meals in significantly underperforming schools.  The problem they kept running into was the high cost of quality produce.  Even though the large chains were giving them price breaks, it still didn’t leave much room to keep their heads above the tide of hungry students.  Then they changed their thinking.  They began looking at the “whole whale.”  Doing some research, they identified a few local Mennonite growers known for their savory produce.  Approaching them, they asked the farmers if they would allow their volunteers to glean from the fields whatever was left over after they had brought their crops in.  Since the produce remaining in the fields was slightly over or undersized for the likes of the commercial buyers the farmers normally sold to, it meant a fantastic boon for the D.C. Central Kitchen.  Through the application of this one idea, they were able to cut their produce costs dramatically.  “Use the whole whale” for them meant taking a fresh look at the way an acre of land was used.

What does it mean for you and I to “Use the whole whale?”  How does this principle apply in communities of faith?  First of all, it forces me to remember that the local church is not a building.  The building is a tool.  The church is the community of faith-followers seeking after the heart of Jesus through intersecting stories.  Each of those stories represents a life; that represents a relationship; that represents practical resources that could all be placed in service to the King.  Perhaps if we would expand our vision to take in the “whole whale” of God’s resources, we might find solutions to some of our most pressing needs.  How might the Kingdom of God be increased if we creatively expanded our vision regarding the resources of our local church?  In addition to utilizing the buildings and spaces we come together in, how much more could be done if we began to view our homes and neighborhoods as spiritual renewal centers.  There is a lot of whale that has yet to be used for the cause of Christ.

And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. 

Acts 2:44