We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Connie Charney a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Connie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
The backstory is simple… For twelve years, I packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to give to a homeless person when I took the train from New Jersey to Penn Station NY once a week, headed to New York University where I taught a course. As I walked downtown, I gave the sandwich to someone in need. Each encounter with someone in need heightened my awareness about food insecurity in America and I grew more and more passionate about feeding the hungry. But giving one sandwich a week wasn’t enough. I needed to take my effort up a notch.
One afternoon I sat at my kitchen table and sketched a bread crust outline on a white napkin. I added a happy birthday message in colors that were a subtle shout-out to PB&J and created a greeting card design. With the help of a talented graphic artist, Food for Thoughts Cards was born!
With the purchase of each giving-back greeting card, the cash equivalent of one PB&J is donated to an organization that feeds the hungry.
Since I’ve always loved sending greeting cards, this pairing of greeting cards and feeding the hungry was perfect. But not just for me. The one-for-one giving-back model resonates with consumers who support products with purpose. It’s a win-win!
Connie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Donating to organizations that feed the hungry is our #1 priority. To date, we have donated the cash equivalent of over 85,000 PB&J’s to organizations that feed the hungry throughout the US. (Giving sandwiches at a rate of one per week on my New Jersey to New York City commute, it would have taken me 1,635 years to reach that number. Oh, the power of products with purpose!).
But our mission is two-fold. You see, we picture a little boy or girl standing at the greeting card counter with their grownup saying “let’s buy the card that gives a sandwich!” We aim to spread awareness about hunger and food insecurity in America and empower that child (adults too) to do something about it by sending our cards!
We’re not shy about saying “why would you send any other card?” when you can feed the hungry with your $4 Food for Thoughts Cards purchase. We’re proud that at the end of the day, someone is a little less hungry because of the purchase of our giving-back cards – and awareness about food insecurity has been addressed. ONE CARD = ONE SANDWICH
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.foodforthoughtscards.com/
- Instagram: @foodforthoughtscards
- Facebook: Food for Thoughts Cards
- Linkedin: Connie Charney
- Twitter: @ConnieCharney