Shop Pink in Elkridge 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.

These stores are offering pink items in Elkridge:

• ULTA Beauty; get a pink streak in your hair, join the  Oct. 14 "Cut-a-Thon" at the ULTA salon, buy products that are pink or give $1 through ULTA's "Donate with a Kiss" campaign, all of which benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
• Mimi's Cafe; "Power of Pink" campaign includes pink drinks and other contributions to National Breast Cancer Foundation.

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

"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," said Jenna Glazer, director of development for Young Survival Coalition (YSC), a global organization dedicated to helping young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer.

>> Read about an Elkridge woman diagnosed with breast cancer at age 23 in this article from Southern Living.

Glazer said the best way for consumers to ensure that pink products are legit is to visit the nonprofit'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 YSC, 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."

If you think a pink product is suspicious or you are wondering about the relationship between the company and the cause, give the nonprofit 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 other cases, she said, "I never hear back from them."

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