proud of my surname

When I was a missionary in Argentina, many people would ask if I was related to Paul Newman, the famous actor. I usually responded with a quip about how if I were related to him, I would have a lot more money.

Even though I'm not related to the movie star, I am proud of his company's accomplishments. His company, Newman's Own, makes good food products (admittedly expensive) that help various charities. Essentially, all the profit from sales (or any money beyond what needs to be used for continuing to run the company) goes to a nonprofit organization that distributes the money to various charities. I can't always afford Newman's products, but I like the social responsibility behind them.

Last weekend, Matt and I encountered a branch of Newman's Own called Newman's Own Organics. Below is the picture that accompanies their products:

Apparently, Nell, Paul's daughter, spearheaded the formation of this new company. We found a line of their cookies on sale at Ream's. ("On sale" means $4.19 a package. Not so cheap.) We decided to be socially conscious and contribute to Paul's charities by buying one of the packages--the Ginger-O Cremes. Yummy and "healthy." All the ingredients are organic, so you don't have to worry about saturated fats or trans fats. Or high fructose corn syrup.

However, I did a bit of research on this new subsidiary company and found evidence that the profits for Newman's Own Organics do not necessarily go toward charity. *Sad face* However, I am consoled by the fact that the cream-filled ginger snaps I've been snacking on for the last few days contain ingredients that can be broken down and used responsibly by my body. And hopefully, just maybe, 14 cents of the $4.19 may make their way to a little orphan in Africa. At least that's what I'd like to think, anyway.