Bloom Farms, a California cannabis company, has donated 1 million meals as part of its corporate social responsibility program.
For every product purchased, Bloom Farms gives the equivalent of one meal to a state food bank. “Donating our one-millionth meal shows that we’re succeeding for our customers, who have purchased one million of our products and appreciate that we are working toward the greater good, and for California’s most vulnerable families who have received the gift of nutritious food,” CEO Michael Ray said in a statement announcing the news.
It’s a twist on the model popularized by TOMS Shoes and Warby Parker, which donate one of their products – shoes and eyeglasses, respectively – for each one sold. Now, a variety of companies have adopted the one-for-one model, giving away everything from socks to books to medical scrubs.
For Ray, the cause of food insecurity is a personal one. California’s child food insecurity rate is about 20 percent – one in five children don’t get enough to eat. Some of Ray’s childhood friends were drawn to his home for meals. The problem hit home once he got older and started hearing statistics about food insecurity in the state: “I realized there is a high likelihood that my family friends were from food-insecure families,” said Ray. [Read more at Forbes]