10 Foods & Drinks That Do (and Taste) Good
Great foods and wines that donate to charities? That’s something we can chew on. (Photo: Good Spread)
The only thing better than enjoying a good meal is sharing that goodness with others. No, we’re not talking about letting a friend take a sip at your wine or going halfsies at dinner. We’re talking about consuming great food and drink products whose revenues support various causes.
Food donations have had a recent spotlight in the news — with local farmers giving fresh produce to food banks and a new app that aims to eliminate food waste — but you don’t always have to give your food away to help make a difference. For some brands, you’re giving to others when you indulge in something for yourself.
Here are 10 products where at least a portion of proceeds go directly to good causes.
Photo: Newman’s Own Co.
The label says it all: “All profits to charity.” As a 501©(3) charity, Newman’s Own Foundation receives 100 percent of profits made from the company’s products — delicious dressings, tasty juices, frozen pizzas and all. As of December 2014, the Foundation has donated $429.3 million to other charities it supports. Since 1982, its given more than 21,000 grants to causes in the U.S. and 14 other countries that focus on areas like: nutrition, children’s health, philanthropy, and supporting the military.
Photo: ONEHOPE
Why choose just one cause when you can support at least 15? With ONEHOPE Wine, that is exactly the case. The causes range from saving the planet to helping children with autism, and half the proceeds from each bottle sold goes to a different one. For example, half the profits of El Dorado Rosé – the winery’s latest addition – helps raise awareness for ovarian cancer; 50 percent of the 2013 Pinot Noir’s profits go to Fund Pet Adoptions. The company has reportedly raised over $1.7 million in donations since it was established eight years ago. Oh, and with Rob Mondavi Jr. as its winemaker, you can bet ONEHOPE wines taste excellent, too.
Photo: Annie’s
You might already know Annie’s for introducing us to mac and cheese so tasty, we can’t believe it’s organic. But this should make the Annie’s name a little more memorable. The company hosts an annual Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship program to which they dedicate $100,000 every year. This year, there are 24 winners, each with awards ranging from $2,500-$10,000 each. These are undergraduate or graduate students studying sustainable and organic agriculture practices. Annie’s also gives $80,000 per year to its Grants for Gardens program, which funds a school to plant an onsite garden. Annie’s is available in retail across the U.S. and also online.
Photo: O Wines
Drinking and college get a different connotation under this wine label. The socially conscious brand gives education scholarships to low-income young women every year. O Wines only has a red ($16) and a Chardonnay ($14) available online for now, but its impact is already being felt. For 2015 there were 14 winners, all college-bound high school students, who received a $20,000 scholarship each, which is paid out in $5,000 increments over four years. The award, called the Opportunity for Success Scholarship, is partially managed by the College Success Foundation.
Photo: KIND
If you couldn’t tell by the name already, these crunchy bars have a soft side. Unlike other brands that donate to established charities, KIND donates to ambitious people ready to create their own. Every month KIND grants $10,000 to a charity proposal that people vote for online. June’s winner was Cool Culture, which aims to provide low-income families with free and unlimited access to New York’s museums. It racked up over 6,400 votes for the win. Although the winner for July has not yet been announced, there were about 95 submissions to choose from. Also, 100 percent of proceeds from Do the KIND Thing, CEO Daniel Lubetzky’s recent book, will be donated to individuals behind charitable causes, such as donating cellphones to soldiers or empowering young adults with cancer.
Photo: Belvedere Vodka / YouTube
Belvedere Vodka
(Belvedere)RED Special Edition Vodka Bottles – strikingly in red and white – let drinkers toast to a good cause. With every bottle sold, 50 percent of profits benefit the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS. The fund is the recipient of the famous (RED) proceeds, and aims to end tuberculosis and malaria as epidemic diseases as well. According to its website, (RED) products in total have raised $315 million altogether. (Belvedere)RED vodka has a smooth vanilla-like taste, and is available throughout the U.S.
Photo: Good Spread
Peanut butter fans, rejoice! Here is an all-natural peanut spread that works more wonders than taste amazing with jelly; it also helps alleviate acute malnutrition around the world. The brand partnered up with MANA, a relief organization for developing countries, to provide packets of “ready-to-use therapeutic food” to starving children. By buying a jar for yourself online, you in turn donate a packet to a child with acute malnutrition. The Spread started off with donations to Chad and Nicaragua, but now have helped distribute over 75,000 MANA packets and counting.
These wines hail from Sonoma County, but can be purchased in stores across the U.S. and online, too. To make the most of your bottle, go for the Homefront Red, dubbed “a red wine that gives back.” Fifty cents of every bottle sold ($14 each) goes to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit that gives back to veterans by giving their families and wounded warriors emergency and financial aid. To date, the winery has raised over $400,000, which $100,000 over their initial goal. As for the wine itself, it boasts of fruity tones (like cherries and blueberries) and is a great companion to meaty foods — perfect for summer grilling.
Photo: Two Degrees Food
Founded in 2009, this nutrition bar line “is good” and “does good,” as its slogan suggests. The company’s overall mission is to feel 200 million hungry children. They want you to help by purchasing their bars online or in stores. Two Degrees follows a similar buy-one-give-one approach as Love with Food: buy a bar, give a child a meal. The donated food supply consists of nutritious formula packets, like the kind Good Spread helps distribute. Health clinics, schools, and local organizations help distribute the meals in locations like Myanmar, Haiti, India, and Kenya. Don’t worry the bars themselves are nutritious too: they’re vegan, kosher, gluten-free, low in sodium, and mad with natural ingredients.
When you subscribe to this snack-delivery service, a selection of organic snacks gets delivered to your home (or office) once a month. For each box you receive, a meal is donated to a food bank in the U.S. The Greater Boston Food Bank has received about 18,000 donations so far, and the San Francisco Food Bank has received about 17,000. Altogether, Love With Food has donated almost 700,000 meals to banks across the country, according to data from Feeding America and Share Our Strength. Basic subscriptions (for the Netflix-equivalent fee of $7.99/month) deliver 8 snacks and donate 1 meal, while “deluxe” boxes deliver 16 snacks and donate 2 meals. Andrew Zimmern already tweeted his approval.
