1. FEED // this company literally feeds the hungry. With each purchase the company provides meals in different areas of the world- even in the United States! They have clothing, jewelry, housewares and more. Go to their website to check out the new baby line, which I adore!
2. Better Life Bags // I learned about Better Life Bags on the Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey podcast (which you should all totally check out on iTunes).
Better Life Bags started as Rebecca Smith's hobby. To beat boredom during the last month's of her first pregnancy, she made herself a diaper bag and posted pictures of it on Facebook. After hearing feedback on how many people wanted to buy one, she opened an ETSY shop in August of 2009 and decided to give 10% of every bag sale to a low income entrepreneur overseas through microloans. She named the ETSY shop "Better Life Bags" and sent a picture of the person the loan was going to help with each bag purchase - to show customers how someone's life was being made better as a result of their bag purchase. In 2010, she and her family moved to a low income area of Detroit, Michigan and her eyes were opened to what poverty, unemployment, and blight can do to a city and the people living there.
Better Life Bags started as Rebecca Smith's hobby. To beat boredom during the last month's of her first pregnancy, she made herself a diaper bag and posted pictures of it on Facebook. After hearing feedback on how many people wanted to buy one, she opened an ETSY shop in August of 2009 and decided to give 10% of every bag sale to a low income entrepreneur overseas through microloans. She named the ETSY shop "Better Life Bags" and sent a picture of the person the loan was going to help with each bag purchase - to show customers how someone's life was being made better as a result of their bag purchase. In 2010, she and her family moved to a low income area of Detroit, Michigan and her eyes were opened to what poverty, unemployment, and blight can do to a city and the people living there.
When orders experienced a boom in 2012, she turned to her neighborhood for help. She hired a woman originally from Yemen, named Nadia, to start sewing bags alongside her. After a few months of spending time with Nadia and paying her for the work she was doing, Rebecca saw a shift in her attitude and economic status. Her family was finally able to afford bed frames for their four children and a dining room table. Better Life Bags was making lives better in Rebecca's own community. Every bag is custom created based on the buyers selection and ships in 4-5 weeks or you can choose from the ready to ship section!
3. TOMS // A simple idea has grown into a global movement: TOMS Shoes has provided over 35 million pairs of shoes to children since 2006, TOMS Eyewear has restored sight to over 275,000 since 2011 and TOMS Roasting Company has helped provide over 67,000 weeks of safe water since launching in 2014. In 2015, TOMS Bag Collection was founded with the mission to help provide training for skilled birth attendants and distribute birth kits containing items that help a woman safely deliver her baby.
4. Noonday Collection // I love love love the story and mission of this company!! They began just five years ago when the owner, Jessica Honegger, needed to raise money in order to adopt her son from Haiti. Now, with the help of global artisans and domestic ambassadors, Noonday is the fastest growing business in Austin, Texas!!! The name Noonday comes from the scripture in Isaiah 58 that says, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."
5. 31Bits // On their website the founders say, "Five years ago we were carefree 21-year-olds. Today, we have plenty to care about. We’ve learned that as consumers, every purchase we make has either a negative impact or a positive impact in the world. That’s why we’ve taken a simple product like jewelry and made it a vehicle for doing something GOOD. Our customers are changing people’s lives through their purchases. 31 Bits is part of a movement revolutionizing the way people do business. We believe businesses should be conscious of both the creator and the consumer. Through holistic care and YOUR purchase, women are being empowered to rise above poverty."
6. Raven + Lily // I have personally visited the storefront in Austin, Texas and let me just tell you I could have bought every item in the store. They have the most lovely home furnishings, jewelry and clothing who seeks to empower women through fashion and design in India, Kenya, Cambodia, Guatemala, Haiti, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Pakistan and USA!
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