October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and although many want to support research and education, perhaps running this weekend’s Race for the Cure event just isn’t your thing. From beauty products to home décor to the odd and miscellaneous, use the power of the purse to purchase products whose companies are donating a portion of proceeds to help benefit breast cancer research. It looks like bras aren’t the only things offering support this month.
But, be sure to take this with a grain of salt. Realize that just because something is pink or sports the breast cancer ribbon doesn’t mean the company is donating to breast cancer research. With one out of every eight women being affected by breast cancer, some companies are looking to capitalize off consumers’ desire to “go pink” rather than actually help. Be sure to read labels and look for details before purchasing. (How much? What percentage? To which foundation? Are you required to send something in?)
Sound complicated? Here are some EDGE-approved purchases you can make to support companies who are donating to breast cancer research:
Home Décor
FTD.com. Make your Mother’s Day flower purchases more meaningful by purchasing from FTD.com’s Pink Ribbon Collection. FTD.com is partnering with Y-ME to donate 10 percent of all sales made between October 1, 2007 and May 31, 2008 to the Y-ME’s National Breast Cancer Organization.
Dyson. Clean the floors and your conscience through the purchase of Dyson’s DC07 Pink All Floors vacuum, sold exclusively at Target stores. With each unit sold, $40 will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which funds over 100 researchers throughout the world working to prevent and cure breast cancer.
Beauty Products
Afterglow. Take bronzing to a new level with Afterglow Cosmetics Glow Bronzer. Five dollars from every Glow purchase will be donated to breast cancer organizations such as the Young Survival Coalition.
L’Occitane. Smooth your skin before you fight away breast cancer through purchasing L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Hand Cream. The company will donating $20,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure this year.
Clothing, Accessories Galore!
Thebreastcancersite.com allows visitors to help women get free mammograms. The site offers everything from pink ribbon totes and wallets to jewelry to Christmas ornaments, pins and shirts. With each purchase, the Breast Cancer Site will fund one percent of a mammogram.
Food
Trudeau. Chocolate is one of life’s necessities and now it can help save a life as well. Available through FoodNetworkStore.com, the Trudeau Corporation will donate $1 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for each pink chocolate fondue set delivered.
THINK. Here is some food for thought. The protein bar thinkTHIN Pink will donate 15 cents per bar to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure purchased between June 2007 and May 2008. Other food product purchases you can make to ensure donations to breast cancer foundations and research organizations include: M&M’s, Yoplait and General Mills, whose recent breast cancer awareness initiative includes a $2 million donation and collaborations with Ellen DeGeneres to launch of an online community of support.
For more information about breast cancer or Race for the Cure, please visit www.komen.org.
Bari Lieberman is EDGE Editor and may be contacted at b.lieberman@umiami.edu.