Shop Pink in Manalapan to Benefit Breast Cancer Awareness

A wave of pink is flooding stores everywhere, as retailers participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For the savvy shopper, it's an opportunity to donate to a good cause while snagging unique, pink-hued items.

• Salon Cemone in Manalapan is asking patrons to show their support of breast cancer awareness by getting a bonded pink hair extension for $10. Half of the proceeds will be donated to the cause.
• Cartridge World, located at 64 Village Drive in Freehold, is working with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to raise money for breast cancer awareness with their “Round up for Pink Ink” initiative. Round up your next purchase at Cartridge World to the next dollar and the change will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Cartridge World of North America will match the first $25,000 donated. 

Freehold Raceway Mall:

• New York & Co. will be donating $2 for every purchase of select items to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. For a look at those items, click here.
• Shop select beauty items at Sephora and proceeds from the purchase will be donated to Breast Cancer Awareness. Items range from Clinique moisturizing lotion to the Clarisonic skin cleansing system. For a full list of products that benefit breast cancer awareness, click here.  
• The Walking Company is selling exclusive Pink Ribbon Collection featuring UGG Australia boots and slippers. The funds will be donated to City of Hope, a national Cancer Institute and Center, as well as over 100 local charities for the company’s second annual Walking for Hope Campaign. 
• Everything But Water is selling a smartphone wristlet that supports Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
• Coach will be donating 20 percent of the proceeds from their featured “pink” products to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation as a part of their “Coach for a Cure” initiative.
• Brighton is selling a Brighton Power of Pink bracelet for $50. With each bracelet purchased, Brighton will donate $10 to support Breast Cancer Research and Awareness. 
• White House Black Market is selling a “Give Hope Collection” which includes a bracelet and t-shirt. $10 from the sale of each bracelet and $20 from the sale of each t-shirt will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer. 
• Chico’s will be donating $5 from the sale of every Cattleya Pink Effortless Cotton Naya shirt and $10 from the sale of each Living Beyond Breast Cancer Bracelet to the Living Beyond Breast Cancer charity.
• Loft has created a nine-piece “Live in PINK” collection and 25 percent of each purchase from the collection will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

But before you plunk down your green for some pink, the nonprofits behind Breast Cancer Awareness Month want you to check the label.

Jenna Glazer, director of development for Young Survival Coalition (YSC), a global organization dedicated to helping young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, said that buyers should be on the lookout for a label or tag that tells where the money from the purchase goes.

"If you walk into Bed Bath & Beyond and see something with a pink ribbon and no information about where the money is going, chances are it doesn't benefit the cause," she said.

Glazer said the best way for consumers to ensure that pink products are legit is to visit the non-profit's website for a list of its partners. YSC, which is based in New York City, lists Oakley, Nutra Nail, Liv/giant bikes, Ford and Urban Outfitters as some of its partners.

The amount of money donated to the nonprofit is also key, Glazer said. With YSC's partnership with Oakley, for instance, $20 from each pair of sunglasses goes right to the nonprofit, which offers resources, connections and outreach to young women with breast cancer. 

And for a group like YSC, which is on the smaller end of the spectrum of breast cancer awareness groups such as Susan G. Komen For the Cure, the check it receives is just part of the benefit. Each time YSC partners with a company, Glazer said, "It raises the profile of nonprofit and gets the word out to the people who need us."

Here are a few pink products available online that breast cancer nonprofits are putting their names behind:

• The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) has partnered with Barnes & Noble, which is offering a pink leather Nook cover with a stitched ribbon for about $35, with $5 going to the foundation.
• Susan G. Komen for the Cure sells its own official merchandise on its website. It has pink leather business card holders for $15 each, as well as candles, coasters, neckties and car accessories.
• Hard Rock will celebrate its thirteenth season of Pinktober with a variety of merchandise, including a pink honeycomb robe for $80. 75 percent of the profits from each item sold goes to the Caron Keating Foundation.

Some retailers don't enter contracts with non-profits but still donate a portion of their proceeds. Team Cheer, a website that offers gear for cheerleaders, is donating 5 percent of its pink profits to BCRF. From socks to bows to briefs, the company's Cheer for a Cure collection includes products from $5 to about $25. You won't see it advertised on the BCRF website, but according to foundation staff, Team Cheer has made donations for the past two years.

If you think a pink product is suspicious or you are wondering about the relationship between the company and the cause, give the non-profit a call. Representatives are usually happy to verify whether a company is really giving.

"I've actually gotten Google alerts and seen people say they are partnering with us and they aren't," Glazer said, adding that she follows up on those alerts and asks for a check from the retailer that made the claim. Sometimes, she said, retailers were unaware that they needed a contract with YSC and will send along the check happily.

But in some cases, she said, "I never hear back from them."

SHARE: If you have a favorite pink product that benefits Breast Cancer Awareness Month, share it here. Just click the green upload button.