Charitable Gift Giving

Last Friday, the world lost a great actor, director, and humanitarian Paul Newman. I was privileged enough to see Mr. Newman on Broadway a few years ago in Thorton Wilder’s “Our Town”, and of course am a big fan of his movies. His departure leaves an awful big hole in Hollywood. We will miss him.

But one bright spot that Mr. Newman left behind was the company he and his friend author A.E. Hotchner founded in 1982, called “Newman’s Own”. He started out selling salad dressing made from his very own recipe, and then pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, cookies, and dozens of other great products, all with premium quality.

100% of his proceeds, after taxes, went to different charities, so many so that as of this year, the organization has doled out more than $250 million in donations. While we mourn the loss of Paul Newman, it’s wonderful that this idea he had “on a lark” has turned out to be part of a phenomenal legacy.

A great gift idea is to take an old empty gift basket and fill it with Newman’s Own products which you can purchase from your local grocery store or online. Here’s a widget of items available on Amazon.