Business Does Good: Upfront Cosmetics Raised $5,200 To Buy Gifts For Children In Need
This story is part of a series called, Business Does Good, stories about Maritime companies contributing time and money to making their communities stronger.
FREDERICTON – Thanks to more support for local businesses, Upfront Cosmetics was able to raise almost $5,200 for its second annual Holiday Helper Program, which this year went towards Greener Village‘s Angel Tree initiative.
Upfront Cosmetics offers a line of shampoo and conditioner bars free of sulfates, parabens, and synthetic fragrances. Between November 1 and December 18, $1 from each bar sold was put towards the Holiday Helper Program.
The money raised this year is a big jump from the $500 raised last year, and it’s all because many more people chose to buy local, said owner Alicia Sharp.
“We have been incredibly fortunate,” she said. “A lot of people have chosen to support local, and we’ve been able to flourish during this time.”
Share chose to donate the money to the Angel Tree initiative run by Greener Village, which operates a food and clothing bank in Fredericton, because it resonates with her as a parent.
The initiative offers food hampers and gifts for families who can’t afford them. Each child involved gets three angels on the tree, which gives them a stocking, a $30 gift and a $50 gift. Upfront Cosmetics was able to sponsor 169 angels.
With the money raised, Upfront Cosmetics was able to buy 96 gifts and fill up 75 stockings for the children, who are between 1 and 15 years old. Sharp shopped for everything from teething toys to Legos, Barbies, and word search books.
“I am a mom and I have two toddlers, and I can’t imagine being in that position where you had to go and you didn’t know if you could get gifts for your kids for Christmas,” she said.
A human services counselor by trade, Sharp said giving back is at the root of her work previously and now, and it’s something that she built into her business model “from day one.”
“When I started my business, giving back was always something that was incredibly important, and also being able to support the communities that support us and in the process flourish in a time that some other businesses haven’t been fortunate enough to even make it,” she said.
Next year, Sharp hopes she can raise three times more than this year.
“I would be elated if we could raise $15,000 next year and help multiple different food banks,” she said.
RELATED: Fredericton Cosmetics Company Grows International Presence, Wins Community Impact Award
Inda Intiar is a reporter for Huddle. Send her story suggestions: [email protected]