How Hemp Can Help: Giving Tuesday 2021
The whirlwind of another harvest is complete. This year makes three. There is still some processing to do, but the fieldwork is finished.
As Director of Sales and Sustainability, I wanted to take a moment this Giving Tuesday a reflect on our social philanthropy from this past calendar year— who we donated to, how we saw alignment between our missions, and any other thoughts that happen to cross my mind.
First up… GiveDirectly.org
Amount: $10,800.00 with a $10,800.00 match from The Majority Report
We had a productive year at Sunset Lake CBD and wanted to do one more big philanthropic push before the end of the year. Our strongest business partnership is with the Majority Report with Sam Seder and we decided as a team that we wanted to collaborate with them on this project. We reached out to Sam, Julie, and the rest of the MR crew to see what they wanted to do. Sam proposed GiveDirectly.org.
We agreed and decided that we wanted to give back a portion of our Gross Sales from November 22 through December 1, 2021. We were absolutely humbled by the response and were able to donate more than $10,000.
Alburgh Family Clubhouse
Amount: $6,135.69
The Alburgh Family Clubhouse project was brought before us by my business partner’s mom, Janet Bellavance. She’s the defacto company mom at this point. This project straddled 2020 and 2021, and I’ve already written about it here.
Lack of childcare is a crisis in America, especially in rural and economically underdeveloped communities like Alburgh. If we are going to continue doing business in the Champlain Islands, we must give back. If you live in Northwest Vermont and want to contribute to this cause, please find their donation page here.
Green Mountain Club
Amount: $1,000.00
Vermont is called the Green Mountain State, and for good reason. Exploring the mountains are an inextricable part of being a Vermonter. The Green Mountain Club’s mission is to make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people by protecting and maintaining the Long Trail System and fostering through education, the stewardship of Vermont’s hiking trails and mountains.
The Green Mountain Club’s mission for land stewardship, creating common space with equal access, and promoting health by getting out into nature is exactly what we are about here at Sunset Lake CBD. As an avid hiker too, it was a no-brainer to contribute to this cause and we will continue to donate as long as we exist. If you want to support them, too please check out their donation page.
St. Vincent Nurses Strike Fund
Amount: $2,500.00
Fun fact: Did you know that donations to union strike funds are not tax deductible? Just another way that the rules are set up against working-class people.
This project made perfect sense to us due to our connection with Worcester, Massachusetts via our Director of eCommerce, T.J. You can read our original press release about the donation. Although we are a small company, we feel it’s important to take a stance. It’s a moral crisis in our country that these companies run profits in the hundreds of millions and then work their staff to the bone, depress wages, and negotiate in bad faith. It’s not about return on capital invested, or Wall St., or comparables— it’s about doing the right thing and having a strong middle class. We will continue to principally and financially stand in solidarity with workers.
Chittenden County Emergency Food Shelf
Amount: $3,000.00
We are farmers, first and foremost. Many Vermont farms have a mission to donate extra produce and allow gleaners onto their property to collect produce for people suffering from food insecurity. Unlike other farms though, we don’t grow any food, but this doesn’t absolve us of the responsibility to donate what we can to combat hunger here at home. That’s why we decided to collaborate with the Farm to Fork Fond, an annual bike ride through the Vermont Islands, and to donate to the Chittenden County Emergency Food Shelf.
Afghanistan Refugee Resettlement Fund
Amount: $1,000.00
Did we mention that we love the Majority Report with Sam Seder? We share a political and economic perspective on how this country can improve. So when Sam Seder and his co-host, Emma Vigeland, promoted a go-fund-me for Afghani refugee resettlement, it piqued our interest. And, when Sam said that he would wear a tank top and flex his pythons if his audience donated enough money— well, that had our attention! See a brief clip of the gun show here.
On a more serious note, the news of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was a historical event, even though this country had no plans on how to manage the fallout. America should be opening its doors to Afghani refugees. We are a small company, but felt it was a moral imperative to help.
Humane Society of Chittenden County
Amount: $2,500.00
We wouldn’t be here without the support and banking services of Mascoma Bank. You can read more about our successful partnership here. One day, when we walked in to withdraw some petty cash, they proposed that we sponsor a charity 5k.
Well, we love our pets here at Sunset Lake CBD, so we decided to sponsor the Humane Society of Chittenden County’s 5K Doggie Fun Run. It was a great opportunity to support our community, our pets, and introduce pet owners to our great CBD pet line. Pets deserve high-quality CBD, too!
Looking Forward
We plan on building on this momentum in the coming year, but for now, we’re going to settle in for the holidays and thank our lucky stars that we have such a great group of customers. Thanks so much for making all of this possible.
-Cy Kupersmith