Wallace J. Campbell

Wallace Campbell, together with Lincoln Clark and Arthur Ringland, founded Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere(CARE) in 1945 to rush lifesaving to the survivors of WWII in Europe and Asia. Over 100 million relief packages were delivered, embedding the phrase "Care Package" into the American lexicon as a term synonymous with helping people in need. Campbell's 40-year association with CARE helped it evolve toward a model of self-sufficient programs that create lasting solutions to the problems of poverty.

"Every human being is important and all human beings owe something to their fellow inhabitants of this planet."

— Wallace J. Campbell

Born: 1911 Three Forks, Montana
Died: January 7, 1998 Los Angeles, California

Wallace Campbell was one of the founding fathers of the "Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere" (CARE) which was established in the aftermath of WWII to rush lifesaving assistance to thousands of European civilian survivors of the war. Campbell's concept in 1945 was to provide individual relief packages to these people until Europe could better care for the needs of its citizens. CARE, originally conceived as a temporary organization, enabled Americans to send 100 million CARE packages to survivors of the conflict in Europe and has evolved into one of largest independent development organizations in the world. Campbell was an active leader in the organization for more than 40 years.

Campbell was born in Three Forks, Montana in 1911. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a Masters Degree in Sociology, he moved to New York City to work for the Cooperative League of the USA. It was at this time that Campbell began a lifelong association with two friends, Arthur Ringland and Lincoln Clark. Their relationship laid the foundation for the concept that became known as CARE USA.

Arthur Ringland had the idea and the perseverance to secure financial backing for overseas food relief packages. Lincoln Clark focused on making the idea a reality. Campbell found their insistence that their approach would work to be overpowering. Campbell stressed that if the plan was to work, it must encompass many private volunteer agencies, not just a single organization such as the Cooperative League of the USA. Thus began the planning for, and creation of, CARE.

The threesome rapidly developed an organizing committee to plan the structure, which would be a nonprofit cooperative owned by organizations interested in this kind of food aid program. They then formed a Board of Directors to provide governance for the organization. Campbell once wrote "no individual could possibly have the personal contact with all of the people and events that make up the world of CARE."

Campbell was the visionary and the catalyst behind the organization taking on its broader, and more global, role. He worked to expand the original role from one of merely feeding the hungry of Europe, to providing relief services throughout the world by working among the people, providing skills, programs and resources that offer opportunities for people to improve their lives.

Initially CARE provided relief to European and later Asian survivors of World War II. Twenty-two organizations formed the cooperative to send lifesaving food packages in 1945 for what was considered a temporary situation. Each package was sponsored by an American citizen, including one sponsored by the President of the United States. The first packages reached Le Havre, France on May 11, 1946. Over 100 million CARE packages were subsequently sent to people in need throughout Europe, Asia and other regions of developing countries. The term CARE package has since become synonymous with helping individuals in need.

From it's original narrow focus, CARE now functions as an extension of U.S. humanitarian relief efforts around the world. In 1998 CARE delivered $339 million in aid. Total revenue was $380 million of which $273 million was contributed by the U.S. Government and the balance contributed by more than 400,000 American individuals and some 300 U.S. corporations and foundations.

CARE USA is now a member of CARE International, a confederation of 10 agencies that deliver relief assistance to people in need and long-term solutions to global poverty. Because of CARE's international structure, agencies such as the United Nations contribute to CARE's project funding and CARE International is able to provide millions of dollars in aid to over 35 million people in more than 60 developing and emerging nations.

During its 50 year history, CARE has focused on helping people help themselves. CARE workers are in the field worldwide constructing water and irrigation systems, initiating sanitation programs, and building schools. But, they are there to train and educate people to help themselves. In fact, CARE trained the first Peace Corp volunteers. Campbell carried out the belief he lived by, "...the best way to help people prevent hunger is in self help programs." CARE, that "temporary" organization, has now helped over a billion people in more than 120 countries.

Campbell often served as spokesman for the organization. He once recalled "...my excitement when the first CARE food packages were unloaded in France after World War II, when CARE provided a quarter of a million food packages for the airlift that helped Berliners survive the Soviet blockade in the early days of the Cold War, when we responded to disaster in Yugoslavia, Mexico, Chile, and Iran".

Campbell served on CARE's first board of directors as a representative of the Cooperative League of the USA, now the National Cooperative Business Association. In addition to his eight years as President, Campbell gave CARE 40 years of service as a founder and board member. He served as CARE's president from 1978 until his retirement in 1986 and was named President Emeritus that year.

Campbell wrote the definitive archive, The History of CARE, A Personal Account, that describes the formation of CARE and its evolution from a narrowly focused relief organization to a global agency providing opportunities to millions of people throughout the world. His intimate participation in every step of the growth and change of CARE made him the foremost expert within the organization who could chronicle these changes for historians in the future.

Because of Campbell's dedication, vision and leadership, CARE has now grown to be one of the world's largest international development and relief organizations. Campbell died on January 7, 1998.