I've been attracted to Newman's Own products ever since they came on the scene, fascinated by a business model wherein all profits (after taxes) were to be given away to charities. It was an added bonus that they use all-natural ingredients and make great tasting stuff.
However, I've always wondered if the charities they contribute to were charities I would
want to give money to, and in my cursory searches I was never able to find out just what charities they donate to. I have a little better idea now, thanks to the Internet. Granted I can't find a comprehensive list anywhere*, but I found a little info at the Newman's Own site:
http://www.newmansown.com/3a_history.html
Quote:
Newman attributes the extraordinary success of his food company to two policies, from which he never deviates. First, he insists on top-quality products without the addition of artificial ingredients or preservatives. Second, he gives away all profits, after taxes, from the sale of the products to educational and charitable organizations, both in the United States and foreign countries where his products are sold. Newman's Own is now distributed in all major retail grocery chains in the United States. Since its inception, Newman's Own has also increased its international distribution to include Canada, Australia, Iceland, England, Germany, France, Israel and Japan. Thousands of charities have received donations from Paul Newman as a result of the sale of Newman's Own products worldwide. Over $150 million has been donated since 1982.
A project that is very dear to Newman's heart is The Hole In The Wall Gang Camp, which he founded with Ursula Gwynne and A.E. Hotchner in 1986 with funds from Newman's Own, in addition to other generous donors.
Paul Newman once quipped, "From salad dressings all blessings flow." His unique flair in successfully combining business and philanthropy has proven to be right on target, endorsed by satisfied customers and appreciated by charities throughout the world.
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Some press releases on the site mention donations of up to $50k each to UNICEF, Habitat for Humanity, and "Fourteen non-profit organizations [...] created to improve quality of life for military members, their families and communities."
Further:
Quote:
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Throughout his history of giving, Paul Newman has concentrated on groups that don’t always have a strong voice in society – the elderly, children and the disabled, among others. Some of his contributions this past year include a partnership with Ford Motor Company that donated 14 trucks to rural food banks around the country; Bread of Life Mission, a transitional housing facility for the homeless in Seattle, WA; Hope Rural School in Florida, a school for migrant children and Youth at Risk, a program that supports troubled teenagers.
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So of course the possibility still exists that there are charities that I wouldn't choose to support benefitting from my purchases of Newman's Own products, but I still don't think I have enough information to know. That said, I still feel like it's a safer bet than buying from a generic profit-oriented corporation. To date, Newman's Own has generated over $150 million for charitable contributions.
* Likely owing to the fact that "Newman's Own, Inc. makes no gift to charity, but Paul Newman, who receives all the profits and royalties from Newman's Own, Inc. distributes all of that personally to the charities of his choice." - source.
Newman's Own
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