On making a real difference

At bread + butter, we're working together as a family to help hungry people, develop a sustainable business model and find out what it takes to make a real difference. Last week, I wrote about working together as a family. Today, I want to provide an update on the development of our business model and what we're learning about making a real difference. For us, one part of making a difference is raising money for our food pantry and food bank partners. During our first 2 months, we made a commitment to give 50 percent of our profits to Pettengill House, Inc. Profits don't come quickly to start-up businesses, but we weren't surprised or discouraged by the amount we raised. Most small businesses take 2-3 years to break even, and longer to start sharing their profits. But we're not most businesses, and we've promised to provide benefits to our nonprofit partners from the very beginning. So when we looked at our results at the end of the first 60 days, we knew we wanted to do better and made the decision to give 100 percent of our revenues to Pettengill.

We also established a charitable giving account, separate from our business, that will allow us to give additional support to food banks, now and in the future. This will help provide stability while we continue to fine-tune the business and work toward a model that is sustainable over time, rather than revisiting or changing our mission after only two months. For November 2009 - March 2010, we're sharing 50% of our profits with food bank partners throughout New England. Check out our partner list in the right hand column.

Another way we make a difference is by raising awareness about hunger issues in our community and across the country. Our products help do that, but so do the actions we take as a family. On Wednesday, we're looking forward to volunteering together as a family and helping to help prepare for the Lions Club's Thanksgiving Dinner in Newburyport. Understanding that the bread + butter project isn't just about us, we'd love to hear from our customers and followers about what you're doing to make a difference, particularly if you're working together as a family. Coincidentally, today is National Family Volunteer Day. Click the green "comments" below to tell us what you're doing.

-Tom

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