May is Mental Health Awareness Month. For these 3 founders, I imagine it’s all year.

Their personal experiences led them to develop their businesses with mental health at its core. Their purpose is to make a difference on the ground, in the communities they work and live, and the customers they serve. Let’s take a look:

1. Freedom Hill Coffee • Bellaire, MI

Scott Thomas is a US Army veteran. In 2013, his childhood friend Brian, fellow Army veteran, and former roommate took his own life. When Scott founded Freedom Hill Coffee, he made it his mission in honor to Brian to help Veterans and First Responders manage Post Traumatic Stress. Every purchase donates back to organizations supporting the courageous people who chose to work in the most dangerous of circumstances, honoring their legacies and sharing a message of healing for all those struggling.

2. Doughp • Las Vegas, TX

Doughp was founded by Kelsey Moreira in 2017 after she got sober and found her “happy place” in the kitchen baking and perfecting her cookie dough. Doughp is a “Recovery Friendly Workplace” where team members are encouraged to bring their full selves to work, connecting with each other vulnerably about what is really going on – beyond the job. They also donate a portion of every sale to the SHE RECOVERS Foundation, a non-profit charity with a mission to connect, support, and empower women in or seeking recovery.

3. Growing Grounds Nursery • San Luis Obispo, CA

Executive Director Jill Bolster-White has led the Transitions-Mental Health Association for 30 years, promoting recovery, hope, and wellness for individuals and families affected by mental illness. Among their many operations, they run the Growing Grounds farm, nursery, and retail store. These operations provide job opportunities to people with mental health challenges, and all  purchases contribute proceeds to mental health services for the community.

Know of any more like these? Suggest them to us to get listed!