Contributing to a cause by buying something for yourself or a friend is a win-win situation. Fortunately, Central Oregon has many options for doing just that.

One of these options is 541 Threads located in downtown Bend. 541 Threads sells clothing and accessories for men and women, and for each shirt purchased, five meals are donated to local food bank Neighborhood Impact.

“It started as a hobby with one shirt design,” said Patrick Wurtz, co-founder of 541 Threads, “and we now have over 50 designs.”

541 Threads works with Neighborhood Impact and occasionally joins with statewide and national efforts to feed the hungry. Over 30,000 meals have been served in the last three years on behalf of the efforts of 541 Threads.

A similar organization that operates on a global level is Sevenly, a weekly cause activation platform that helps raise funding and awareness for a specific cause.

Sevenly offers limited edition products that are available online for seven days, and for each product sold, seven dollars is donated to that week’s cause. Past campaigns have included helping orphans, providing clean water, feeding the hungry and working against human trafficking.

Yet another option is purchasing a HydroFlask. HydroFlasks are insulated, high-quality flasks created by the HydroFlask company, which was launched in Bend in 2009. For each purchase, customers have the opportunity to donate 5 percent of the net profit to any one of 12 charities.
“I bought HydroFlasks for all of my family members at Christmas this year,” said Julie Young, a former student at Central Oregon Community College. “I really liked being able to give them something that I knew was a quality product and that they would use every day. The fact that I was able to donate to a cause at the same time was a definite bonus.”

Rosalinda Corning
The Broadside
[email protected]