Outstanding Philanthropic Small Business
November 22, 2019
It was such an honor to receive the National Philanthropy Day award for Outstanding Philanthropic Small Business this month. Watch this video and read on below to learn about how Molly Moon's gives back to our community.
Molly built Molly Moon's in order to give back to others. The Molly Moon’s mission is centered around giving back in funding, in time, and in the kind way the company treats employees and customers.
Every year Molly Moon’s gives back 1% of sales or 10% of profits (whichever is greater) to nonprofits making the world better. Last year the company gave over $70,000 to community organizations and will over $80,000 before the end of this year.
We focus on three areas of giving, we give to organizations doing racial equity work in Seattle, to organizations supporting women and girl empowerment and to food banks in each of our shop neighborhoods – so that they can get the fresh milk and dairy they need for their customers.
Molly has been donating to food banks for years and has had a company match to FamilyWorks for many years, but more recently, Molly Moon’s formally created its own nonprofit- the Anna Banana Milk Fund, so that we could actually raise money for our local food banks. We have such amazing relationships with our food bank partners – as you could see from the video – we love supporting them, through funding, through event donations and auction items, but also through volunteering.
A couple of years ago we began a mooncrew volunteer program, and an Annual Day of Service so that all of our employees could have paid time to volunteer in our community. Last year we all volunteered at the food banks in our shop neighborhoods, this year we spent the day outside helping the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands.
We also have an amazing program to support the Mary’s Place Girl Scouts troop. A few years ago Mary’s Place was able to start troop in their shelter. We host their troop each year – Molly talks to the girls about what Girl Scouts meant to her, and how Girl Scouts can support them, and then she shows them how to make our Scout Mint ice cream. When they write us a short essay about why they want to attend Summer camp – we purchase enough cookies for our Scout Mint ice cream for the year from their troop in order to send them all, along with all of the supplies they need for their first time at overnight camp!
Yes, we are proud to be known for our delicious locally sourced, fresh-made ice cream, but it means so much to us, and we are even prouder to be recognized for our philanthropy and community work!