Why Well+Good Is Partaking in Giving Tuesday—and How You Can Help

To our amazing wellness community,

Our passion as journalists is researching and writing articles that make a healthy—fun, cool, smart—difference in someone’s life. Hopefully yours!

So every day we write about foods that help fight inflammation, investigate clean beauty products, and introduce you to inspiring fitness instructors and workouts to make you feel stronger, happier, and more empowered.

But today, on Giving Tuesday, we’re all about helping protect our readers' rights to health care, which is even more crucial right now.

Today we’re donating $100 for every Well+Good team member to Planned Parenthood, and we hope Well+Good readers might be inspired to donate $100—or whatever you can afford—to causes that you care about whose funding may be compromised in the years ahead.

We chose Planned Parenthood because this 100-year-old organization supports access to birth control, pap smears, STD testing, and even general health care like thyroid screening and anemia testing—at little to no cost—and continues to support legislation that's been essential to women's health and human rights. We'll be giving $2,500 for our team of 25.

Want to learn more about the health-related concerns being discussed on a political level right now, like comprehensive sex ed, GMOs, and beauty product regulation? These are the issues every wellness-loving person should know about.

With gratitude,

Melisse & Alexia
Well+Good founders

No matter what your interests are, there are plenty of incredible causes that need our help—scroll down to check out more healthy organizations participating in Giving Tuesday.

Girls on the Run

Giving Tuesday isn't just about giving monetary donations—it can also be about giving your time to those in need. Girls on the Run is an organization that matches volunteers to young girls in the hopes of teaching them to become healthy and confident young women. You can sign up to be a coach or running buddy and run alongside these young girls—not only teaching them about running and endurance (while getting in your workout), but also about confidence and empowerment.

Bombas socks

You may think of socks as the annoying extra thing you always forget to pack for your post-office workout, but socks are often at the top of the list of needed items at homeless shelters. Whether you're in the market for a new pair for a workout or a Netflix binge, Bombas will donate a pair for every pair purchased. At over 1 million pairs donated, this uber-comfy brand is turning an everyday necessity for most into a game-changing donation for those in need.

Every Mother Counts

After suffering from complications during her own pregnancy, Christy Turlington Burns founded this organization to make the prenatal and labor process less dangerous for every mother—no matter where in the world they are. By shopping through its mom- and baby-centered online store, running in fund-raising races, or simply donating to the organization, you can help provide better transportation, more supplies, and safer childbirth experiences for women around the world.

Back On My Feet

If you're looking for an organization whose work will carry on way beyond Giving Tuesday, check out Back On My Feet. Rooted in removing the stigma around homelessness, volunteers meet up with homeless shelter residents once a week for an early-morning run, which lasts for about an hour, to help them build up their endurance—and their confidence. After a 30-day period, those who have completed 90 percent attendance then become eligible for phase two of the program—which provides educational support, job-training programs, employment partnership referrals, and housing resources. (Best part? Almost 80 percent of participants move onto phase two.)

Huru Kit

In Kenya, many girls are unable to even go to school when they're on their periods, since disposable pads are unaffordable for poor families. Huru Kit is working to help change that—for $35, you can send one to a community, providing sanitary napkins, fresh underwear, soap to wash the pads, and underwear, as well as information on menstrual health. Although this service is available all year round, Giving Tuesday is a perfect day to make your first donation.

Ball to All

This organization has a simple mission: to keep kids playing. Ball to All knows that there are huge issues around the world, but they think if all kids have a ball, they will be able to stay active, healthy, happy as they grow up. You can make whatever size donation you'd like, but it costs around $20 for a ball to reach a child in need—that's just a couple of your morning smoothies.

Give Back Yoga Foundation

While you may still be working on your daily crow pose yourself, there are many people who don't have access to any yoga—and they are likely the people who would benefit from it the most. The Give Back Yoga Foundation aims to make yoga available to all those who might not otherwise have the opportunity—from veterans to prisoners to those suffering from cancer. They support local teachers, especially those in underfunded areas, and provide resources to make yoga a universal practice.

If you're looking for a breakdown of the wellness issues being discussed on a political level, check out our healthy voter guide. Or learn about the cities that are now taking that whole "sugar is the devil" thing very seriously.