11/27/2020 Foundry Giving Friday: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cycle For Survival

• Posted on 27 November 2020
• Posted in Foundry Giving Friday
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Every year, we've always dedicated the weekend after Thanksgiving as our "Foundry Weekend of Giving", giving all of our profits to causes near and dear to our hearts.

This year, after a wild season reckoning with an ongoing feeling that there are just so many needs going unaddressed in our communities (and what can we even DO about it!?) we decided to up the ante with the launch of a new, weekly initiative, donating 5% of our total sales each and every Friday to a different, community-nominated small-and-mighty cause.

As a small business with tight margins, two things have been top of mind for us this year: staying afloat/keeping our Foundry Family gainfully employed AND figuring out trying to give back more and more regularly. We don't usually get into the math (and if your eyes glaze over at mention of math you can skip ahead/Lillian is planning on spending some post-holiday time making some charts because what's more fun than CHARTS!) but we'll just say: oftentimes 5% of total sales on a single Friday is more than 100% of "profits" on that same day. And, like many retailers, our season of abundance doesn't roll around until December. So in this new model, to be able to gift 5% of our total sales somewhere that needs it every. single. Friday. feels good. To gift 5% of our total sales on super-fun-and-hopping holiday Fridays? It feels really good.

So, going into our busiest season, in lieu of our one-time Giving Weekend, we're going to keep doing our Giving Friday initiatives, with this Friday's donation going to Memorial Sloan Kettering's Cycle for Survival, in support of research to fight rare cancers.

We give to MSK every year in honor of Jay. Brother-from-another-mother/partner to Anna's sister Katie Rose, Jay was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer in 2013 (pictured above receiving a rare post-recovery-double-foot-rub from Anna and KR). Jay is now cancer free, papa to two brilliant and fierce little girls, and rides every year in MSK's Cycle For Survival (team name: "Nutcrackers", duh). from this Love you so big, Jay, and so deeply grateful for you.

Starting next week, we're going to make the most of the math and the season of generosity and double down on our Foundry Giving Fridays, choosing TWO worthy recipients each week to multiply and share the giving spirit of joy.

As always, if you don't need anything from us, please consider donating directly. If you DO find yourself in need of beeswax or brushes, small gifts or big ones...know that your purchase with us on Fridays goes to support good work happening on the community level.

And, if you miss out on this Giving Friday, 100% of the sales of Jay's book of heart-full poems on the power of love and gratitude, Bloom, go to MSK all the time.

If YOU have a worthy cause to nominate for our Foundry Giving Friday initiative, pop on over to our Nomination Page and drop us a line. We're so glad to be together in this world with you all.