As some of you know I’ve been working on creating a more sustainable beauty industry and have been partnering with brands, editors and bloggers since February to get their un-used/unopened beauty products donated to homeless and battered women’s shelters.
Beauty bloggers/editors get so many products they can’t give it away fast enough. And did you know that when brands discontinue a product or change the packaging they usually destroy any leftover products in their warehouse? Think of all those people in need that they could go to! And up until now there wasn’t a viable solution which I’m so happy to be on the forefront of creating!
A few months back I partnered with the non-profit organization, Family-to-Family to develop a Beauty donation program called “Share Your Beauty“, which allows anyone to donate any unopened beauty products to those in need.
Now in only our 4th month in existence, I’m so excited to announce not only have we donated over 12,000 products and as of today we’re officially partnering with LeSportsac!!!! Anyone in NYC is welcome to drop off to the LeSportsac corporate office located in Times Square where we will be doing monthly donations to various shelters in the tristate area.
We’re accepting unopened beauty products (hair, skincare, body products, makeup, nail polish and fragrance) — please do not include anything too complicated like self tanners or fake eyelashes (use your judgement).
Prior to drop off or messengering products, please email us at [email protected] so we can have your name added to the security list and notify LeSportsac how much bags/boxes or products they can expect. Please bring a valid ID when dropping off. Unless you prefer to go through the messengering center which does not require registration.
Drop Off Location NYC:
Address: LeSportsac, 1411 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY 10018 (Ask for: Paula Spadaccini or Yana Grinyuk)
Hours: 11 AM – 3 PM
Messenger:
Address: LeSportsac, Attn: Paula Spadaccini, 1411 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY 10018
Hours: 9 AM- 4 PM
**Messenger: must go through freight elevator entrance on 40th and Broadway. No need for registering.
Drop Off Location Westchester:
Products can additionally be donated or mailed direct to Family-to-Family at their Headquarters in Westchester:
Address: Family-to-Family, P.O Box 225, Hastings-On-Hudson, NY 10706 (Attn: Pam Koner)
All the information is also listed at family-to-family.org/share-beauty for any brand or other inquires email us at [email protected]
For anyone not familiar with the back story and more about the Share Your Beauty Program, here’s our story:
In February of this year, I received an email from the non-profit, Family-to-Family about wanted to drop off beauty products to homeless shelters for Valentine’s Day. Instead of doing a post about it, I offered to run a drive out of NYC and work with local beauty bloggers and brands to do a collection.
Family-to-Family was so impressed by what we were able to do collect over 800 products in such a short time, that they asked if I would head up their beauty division and create a program. And thus the Share Your Beauty program was born. Our mission is to create a more sustainable beauty community, donating excess products to those in need. And while many households have excess clothing they are able to donate, it’s really editors/bloggers that get the insane amount of beauty products that they don’t know what to do with. Until now…
With the new Share Your Beauty program, the Pretty Connected team aims to unite a coterie of beauty bloggers, editors, publications, and brands in creating ongoing beauty collection drives and events, delivering unused beauty products to select New York-based organizations serving impoverished women in crisis.
To kick off the Share Your Beauty program, my partner Ashley Tschudin and I hosted an event at Davio’s Modern Italian Restaurant on April 30th where LeSportsac donated 100 bags of which guests could fill the bags with the products that were donated that evening. In addition to the 100 bags being filled, we had over 35 boxes filled with beauty product sent to the the Shelter for Domestic Violence Survivors that were given to the residence at these homes on Mother’s Day!
Learn more at family-to-family.org/share-beauty
Thank you to all that have supported us and continue to do so! And especially to LeSportsac for their amazing support!