Purchasing Power
Story by Jami Bowen
We want to help others out. Sometimes, though, we just don’t know how. Now, several companies are making it easy for you to donate – simply by buying their products. Dropping a dollar on everything from shoes, kitchenware, and even condoms, can be a charitable act. More then ever, companies are using the purchasing power of the average consumer to benefit the greater good. Here are 10 products whose profit margins help improve our world.
TOMS shoes
Price: $44-$98
It’s hard to feel good about throwing hard-earned cash on shoes. That’s where TOMS shoes comes in. TOMS was founded with a simple principle: With every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS will donate a pair to a child in need. Not only can you feel good about finding a hip, comfy pair of kicks, but also about knowing that you’re helping children avoid the harm that comes from going barefoot. www.toms.com
Tide Laundry Detergent
Price: About $12
Washing your clothes can be a mundane experience. With Tide laundry detergent, each load of laundry you wash contributes to the Tide Loads of Hope mobile laundromat. Ten cents from every purchase of yellow cap Tide goes to help families affected by disasters to obtain one of life’s basic comforts—clean clothes. So when you pour that cap of detergent in your washer, take joy in knowing that you’re helping Tide bring comfort to people when they really need it most. www.tide.com/loadsofhope
David Babaii Shampoo and Conditioner
Price: $9.95
David Babaii’s philosophy is that looking great feels fantastic, but doing good at the same time—well, that’s just even better. That’s why Babaii put the two together with his line of hair products. Not only do his products leave out ingredients that can be bad for your hair—and the planet—but 10 percent of all proceeds go to the non-profit organization Wildaid, whose goal is to end wildlife trafficking. www.db4wildaid.com
KitchenAid: Cook for the Cure
Price: $10-$300
KitchenAid donates more than 10 percent of the purchase price to Susan G. Komen Foundation.
With a pink toaster, pink measuring cups, and pink heart silicone pans, this line of KitchenAid products might make your girlfriends jealous. Added bonus: With every pink product purchased, KitchenAid donates 10 percent–or up to $50–to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. Pink products allow you to fill your kitchen, not only with adorable kitchenware, but with utensils and tools that benefit women everywhere. With a variety of products available, you are sure to find one to fit into your budget. www.kitchenaid.com
MAC makeup
Price: $10-$15
MAC makeup is using lipstick to spread the word about HIV/AIDS. Partnering with the likes of Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper, MAC’s VIVA GLAM campaign is designed to educate women about the risks of HIV/AIDS with the MAC AIDS fund. The fund has agreed to donate $2.5 million of the money it makes on this product to help spread the word. Supporting a cosmetics company has never been easier. So that perfect shade of red you want: It’s also helped spread awareness of an epidemic. www.macaidsfund.org
Newman’s Own
Price: $3-$7
Paul Newman wasn’t just a great actor. Off screen he lent his name to tasty salad dressings, popcorn, sauces, and many other food products. His company also donates all proceeds to charity. Over $280 million has been passed along to thousands of charities. While Newman himself has passed on, his line of products won’t stop giving any time soon. www.newmansown.com
PUR water filters
Price: $20-$50
Can you imagine not having clean drinking water every day? PUR doesn’t think anyone should face that reality. For every product sold, PUR donates 10 liters of clean water to help save lives.The company has also allied with the Children Safe Drinking Water program, which helps educate others on the importance of clean water and even distributes PUR water filters to those in need. Guzzle down that fact: the purchase of your water filter is helping people all over the world refresh on clean water. www.purwater.com
Oral B and Crest products
Price: $5-$22
Every morning and night as you put your minty Crest toothpaste on your Oral B electric toothbrush, you’re not only shining your pearly whites, you’re supporting Operation Smile. The organization provides reconstructive facial surgery to children and adults with cleft lips in developing countries. Not only will you improve your smile, but you’re helping others see a difference in their own. That’s something to smile about.
STACEY – I can’t find this one anywhere online…
ONEHOPE Wines
Price: $10-$20
ONEHOPE Wines does something that no other wine company does. With each different flavor of wine, ONEHOPE donates 50 percent of its proceeds to a different charity. For example, the ONEHOPE Cabernet donates half of all its earnings to funds that help underprivileged families coping with autistic children. They even have a wine that supports the troops, along with many others. And with each bottle costing roughly $10, the cause, the price, and the taste call for cheers. www.onehopewine.com
Proper Attire Condoms
Price: $18-$24
Lady Gaga teamed up with Jeremy Scott to design a range of fashionable condoms. Not only are these condoms stylish—one even boasts an animal print—they also support a cause. All proceeds go to Planned Parenthood to help promote safe-sex education. If the off-the-wall designs don’t make you want to purchase a box, perhaps the cause it supports will instead.
www.properattirecondoms.com
