sizes giving charity and taking care of
orphans. Starting this business is a way
for me to turn my beliefs into action.”
Pet-loving punk rockers
For sisters Tish and Snooky Bellomo,
who grew up poor with a single mother
who loved animals, looking after others
always made sense. “Our mother taught
us compassion, and I think we always felt
we wanted to help other people, knowing
what it feels like to need help,” says Tish.
When the sisters founded their
punk-rock-inspired hair color company,
Manic Panic ( manicpanic.com), in New
York City’s East Village in 1977, the
two included a few extra goals in their
business plan.
At the time, for example, few cosmetics companies were not testing their
products on animals. Manic Panic’s
motto is “Tested on celebrities, not
animals.” Famous customers include
Cyndi Lauper, Rihanna and Katy Perry.
Manic Panic also incorporated a
pledge to donate 15 percent of its profits
to charity.
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In addition to donating money to
animal-related causes like Frankie’s
Friends ( frankiesfriends.org) in Tampa,
Florida, which helps cover vet bills for
families that can’t afford them, Tish and
Snooky support, through donations and
mentoring, local organizations working
with at-risk girls growing up in poverty.
One such organization is the Lower
Eastside Girls Club ( girlsclub.org).
“We started our business with
basically nothing,” says Tish, “and when
these girls see that you’re real and you
went through a lot of things they’re going
through, it gives them hope.” Adds
Snooky, “It is so great to encourage young
girls and empower them. If we can do it,
they can do it, too.”
Backpacks giving back
“Before we started the company, we
were traveling the world,” explains Kelly
Belknap. “We were trying to give back to
those in need by packing lunches into
our backpacks, and then handing them
out to anyone who was asking for help
throughout our travels.”
“It was surprising to see so many
people in need in big cities,” recalls
his wife and business partner, Matilda
Sandstrom. “After our trip we came back
to our neighborhood in Denver and
realized there were just as many people
at home that were in need.”
The idea stuck and became part of
their company’s mission.
Adventurist Backpack Co. (adventur
istbackpacks.com), based in Denver, is
a testament to the fact that you don’t
have to be a big business, or even have
been around that long, to make a difference in people’s lives. Belknap and
Sandstrom are co-founders of the company, which launched in 2017.
For every one of the durable,
minimalist backpacks they sell, they
provide 25 meals to families in need
via Feeding America (feedingamer
ica.org). Since its launch just a year
ago, Adventurist has provided
25,000 meals.
Costco member Leah Ingram has an
online store for dog lovers, Pawsome
Doggie ( pawsomedoggie.com), that
supports animal shelters and rescues.