Photo courtesy of CROP Cares Program

You wouldn't necessarily expect a local juice shop to be so philanthropic or even have a philanthropic arm implemented in order to give back, but the crew at CROP Juice Sarasota has been working with local partners through their 'CROP Cares' program to support various charitable organizations. "Pre-Covid, we had a bottle recycling program where we donated .25 cents to local 501c3 organizations for every crop bottle that could be reused. Since, we stopped taking bottle returns with Covid, we created a new philanthropic program, CROP Cares," shares Karen Odierna, owner of CROP. "The CROP Cares initiative is a way for us to directly support multiple organizations across Sarasota and Manatee county. It also gives us the opportunity to give back and support our local friends by raising awareness, educating and promoting these local organizations that are doing what they do best for the community."

Recently, CROP partnered with Sarasota Candle Company to create various scents and colors of soy-based candles in their recycled glass juice bottles. $5 from each sale of a CROP Cares candle is donated directly to the corresponding organization. Each candle represents a specific charitable organization and its cause that the CROP crew has personally selected to be a part of the 2021 initiative. 

The Zen candle is berry and pine-scented and represents mental health awareness. For this particular scent, CROP has united with Operation Warrior Resolution, whose mission is to provide Rapid Resolution Therapy, among other holistic treatments to military service members and their families. The Green Cropito candle is pineapple and mint-scented and represents animal awareness. CROP is working with Satchel’s Last Resort, a local animal shelter/sanctuary that rescues, rehabs and rehomes dogs and cats who have nowhere else to go due to certain existing conditions. Additionally, the Afterburn candle is citrus-scented and stands for community outreach through Project Pride SRQ, whose goal is to bring together, provide support and raise awareness for members of the local LGBTQ community. Meanwhile, the Deep Blue C candle is coconut and pineapple-scented and represents ocean conservation. For this, CROP joined Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, whose dedication is to the conservation of our oceans through research and education. And lastly, the Lifesaver candle is sweet and fruity scented to represent all-around cancer awareness. CROP linked up with Sarasota's Team Tony Cancer Foundation, whose mission is to provide peer-to-peer support and resources to cancer fighters, survivors and caregivers. 

"CROP Cares has been an amazing experience for our whole crew," says Odierna. "We are inspired and driven by the passion of the organizations we partner with and love to share each of their missions with our community."

CROP continues to actively look ahead and is always in search for more local partners and charitable organizations to work with for their 2022 initiative. If you would like to nominate an organization that could benefit from the CROP Cares Program, reach out to connect @cropjuice.com.

Photo courtesy of CROP Cares Program

Shop the candles here or for more information on each specific charitable organization