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Packed With Purpose turns ordinary gifting into extraordinary impact

The Certified B Corp Bundle from Packed With Purpose is a delicious gift basket that truly gives back.

Packed With Purpose turns ordinary gifting into extraordinary impact

Upworthy earns a percentage of revenue from the purchase of items mentioned in this article.


In today's throwaway culture, where gifts feel devoid of meaning and often end up collecting dust, an innovative company is shifting gift-giving dynamics from generic, forgettable items to meaningful contributions that foster real, positive change. Packed With Purpose nurtures a positive shift in our gift-giving culture, underlining the potential for presents to carry far more weight than mere objects.

Make an Impact
Packed With Purpose Certified B Corp Bundle
Certified B Corp Bundle
$55 at Packed With Purpose

Born out of a vision to create more meaningful connections, Packed With Purpose doesn't just sell gift boxes—they curate experiences that celebrate quality, integrity, and impactful indulgence. The company's mission goes beyond the concept of a 'feel-good' gift. They are here to create an impact that reverberates far beyond the moment of unboxing. Each item in their carefully curated gift sets is meticulously vetted, ensuring they align with the company's ethos of environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical business practices.


The Certified B Corp Bundle is the epitome of Packed With Purpose's approach to gifting. This delightfully diverse collection of gourmet treats is a cornucopia of flavors sourced from Certified B Corp businesses. These companies have met rigorous transparency, accountability, and social and environmental performance standards. The bundle represents a commitment to delivering a delectable gift and giving back to the community and planet. It's not just a gift—it's a statement of purpose.


Packed With Purpose

With a deep-rooted belief in purposeful living and ethical business, Packed With Purpose demonstrates what a conscious company can achieve. It is committed to environmental sustainability, corporate transparency, and social impact, focusing on aligning with brands and suppliers who share these same values. Their purposeful products support diverse, women-owned businesses and initiatives tackling food insecurity, youth development, and wellness programs, among others.

Unpacking the operations of Packed With Purpose offers insight into the meticulous care they infuse into every stage of their product selection process. Their dedicated team of impact enthusiasts vets each potential product and its producer, ensuring they meet the company's high standards. These are standards not only of taste and quality but also of ethical and sustainable practices.

For example, Packed with Purpose is proud to partner with socially conscious brands like Together We Bake and WOODCHUCK USA. Founded in 2012 by Stephanie Wright and Tricia Sabatini, Together We Bake is an organization that empowers women in the nation's capital by offering them second chances through training for careers in the food service and hospitality industry. This exemplary enterprise provides a ray of hope and a path to self-esteem for many women with challenging pasts.

In contrast, but equally remarkable, WOODCHUCK USA is a venture rooted in the idea of connecting people with nature. Crafted with sustainably sourced wood, their products are as unique as their mission to “leave the planet better than we found it.” With every product sold, a tree is planted in locations as diverse as Madagascar, Nepal, and their home state of Minnesota. Whether it's chic wooden luggage tags or an artisanal journal, each purchase helps reforest our planet.

This process of careful curation to find companies like those mentioned above guarantees that every substitution, every item in every box, is of equal quality and impact. They understand that every product has a story, and with Packed With Purpose, each story is one of positive impact and purposeful change. And because of their commitment to environmental sustainability, all Packed with Purpose gift boxes and packaging is made from recyclable materials and printed on FSC-certified paper.

Understanding the Certified B Corp Certification

When we talk about Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, we're referring to a special type of business.

B Corps aren't just about turning a profit — they're about driving positive change in the world. To earn the B Corp Certification, a company must undergo a rigorous evaluation process by B Lab, a non-profit entity that measures a company's entire social and environmental performance. This certification means they've reached the highest standards of transparency, accountability, and social impact — it's like a badge of honor for businesses committed to doing good.

But why does this certification matter? Think of it as a promise. When you see a product from a Certified B Corp, it carries an assurance of ethical practices and sustainable impact. It tells you that the company behind the product is dedicated to quality and creating positive change in the world. These businesses understand their role extends beyond their products to include their impact on employees, communities, and the environment. In essence, a Certified B Corp is a business that balances purpose and profit, demonstrating that companies can be a force for good. It's not just about doing business — it's about doing business right.


The Certified B Corp Bundle: A Gift That Gives Back

Let's step into the world of the Certified B Corp Bundle, where every item tells a story of purposeful impact. Each box reveals a collection of culinary delights, from the indulgent organic dark chocolate bar with roasted hazelnut pieces by Lake Champlain Chocolates to the refreshing, lightly sweetened cold brew coffee by BLK & Bold. It offers nutrient-dense apple cinnamon energy bites from Sun & Swell Foods, and a warming breakfast blend tea with a hint of citrus and vanilla by The Tea Spot. The bundle's sweetness continues with crunchy, allergen-free birthday cake cookies from Partake Foods and buttery, bite-sized sweet toffee cookies by Feed Your Soul. Each product represents the dedication of these Impact Partners to both taste and social responsibility.

Taste is paramount in the Certified B Corp Bundle, a collection where quality meets conscious indulgence. Expect to encounter the full-bodied flavors of Vermont in a fair-trade chocolate bar or the satisfying crunch of allergen-free cookies. You'll delight in the refreshing sweetness of cold brew coffee and the inviting warmth of a breakfast blend tea. Yet, behind these delectable treats is a commitment to sustainability, ethical sourcing, and the highest production standards. It's a celebration of the best Certified B Corps have to offer in terms of taste and integrity.

With each purchase of the Certified B Corp Bundle, you're not just buying a gift — you're contributing to a greater cause. Each product supports diverse, women-owned, and socially conscious businesses and extends aid to programs ranging from cancer research and wellness initiatives to workforce development and food education. For example, Feed Your Soul partners with organizations to provide meals to those in need, while The Tea Spot donates a part of its profits to cancer survivors. Purchasing a Certified B Corp Bundle means joining a movement of conscious consumption and contributing to the mission of these purpose-driven businesses. It's not just a gift — it's an extraordinary impact in a box.

The Impact Partners

Let's pull back the curtain on some remarkable Impact Partners contributing to the Certified B Corp Bundle. Take Lake Champlain Chocolates, a family-owned business that crafts small-batch gourmet chocolates with organic, fair-trade cocoa and all-natural ingredients. This partnership perfectly embodies their commitment to quality, integrity, and sustainability. Another standout is BLK & Bold, a black-owned business that pledges 5% of its coffee and tea proceeds to support domestic youth in need. Their partnership with Packed With Purpose is a testament to their commitment to social impact.

Then there's Feed Your Soul, a business that seamlessly blends delicious treats with philanthropy. With each purchase, they donate a portion of the proceeds to organizations fighting homelessness and hunger. Partnering with Packed With Purpose is a natural alignment of values, further reinforcing their mission to feed the body and soul. Each partner's story is unique, yet they share a common thread: a commitment to ethical, sustainable business practices and a desire to create a positive impact in the world. When you gift a Certified B Corp Bundle, you're not just delivering flavors and treats; you're sharing these inspiring stories and becoming a part of this positive impact narrative.

The Power of Purposeful Gifting

When you choose the Certified B Corp Bundle from Packed With Purpose, you're making a statement — a statement of care, consciousness, and change. Each bundle represents an investment in sustainable business practices, support for diverse and women-owned businesses, and a contribution to various socially conscious causes. It's a tangible testament to the power of purposeful purchasing.

Whether it's a birthday, anniversary, or a gift for a business client, the Certified B Corp Bundle can turn an ordinary gesture into an extraordinary impact. It's a gift that goes beyond delightful tastes and flavors — an expression of shared values, a celebration of social consciousness, and a heartfelt gesture that leaves a lasting positive footprint.

Make an Impact
Packed With Purpose Certified B Corp Bundle
Certified B Corp Bundle
$55 at Packed With Purpose

If you're ready to turn gift-giving into a powerful act of purposeful impact, click here to explore the Certified B Corp Bundle from Packed With Purpose. See how a simple box of delectable treats can unfold into a world of positive change. Dive in, make a difference, and join us on this journey of purposeful gifting.

Gen Zer asks how people got around without GPS, Gen X responds

It's easy to forget what life was like before cell phones fit in your pocket and Google could tell you the meaning of life in less than .2 seconds. Gen Z is the first generation to be born after technology began to move faster than most people can blink. They never had to deal with the slow speeds and loud noises of dial up internet.

In fact, most people that fall in the Gen Z category have no idea that their parents burned music on a CD thinking that was peak mix tape technology. Oh, how wrong they were. Now songs live in a cloud but somehow come out of your phone without having to purchase the entire album or wait until the radio station plays the song so you can record it.

But Gen Z has never lived that struggle so the idea of things they consider to be basic parts of life not existing are baffling to them. One self professed Gen Zer, Aneisha, took to social media to ask a question that has been burning on her mind–how did people travel before GPS?

Now, if you're older than Gen Z–whose oldest members are just 27 years old–then you likely know the answer to the young whippersnapper's question. But even some Millennials had trouble answering Aneisha's question as several people matter of factly pointed to Mapquest. A service that requires–you guessed it, the internet.

Aneisha asks in her video, "Okay, serious question. How did people get around before the GPS? Like, did you guys actually pull a map and like draw lines to your destination? But then how does that work when you're driving by yourself, trying to hold up the map and drive? I know it's Gen Z of me but I kind of want to know."

@aneishaaaaaaaaaaa I hope this reaches the right people, i want to know
♬ original sound - aneishaaaaaaa

These are legitimate questions for someone who has never known life without GPS. Even when most Millennials were starting to drive, they had some form of internet to download turn-by-turn directions, so it makes sense that the cohort between Gen Z and Gen X would direct Aneisha to Mapquest. But there was a time before imaginary tiny pirates lived inside of computer screens to point you in the right direction and tales from those times are reserved for Gen X.

The generation known for practically raising themselves chimed in, not only to sarcastically tell Millennials to sit down but to set the record straight on what travel was like before the invention of the internet. Someone clearly unamused by younger folks' suggestion shares, "The people saying mapquest. There was a time before the internet kids."

Others are a little more helpful, like one person who writes, "You mentally note landmarks, intersections. Pretty easy actually," they continue. "stop at a gas station, open map in the store, ($4.99), put it back (free)."

"Believe it or not, yes we did use maps back then. We look at it before we leave, then take small glances to see what exits to take," someone says, which leaves Aneisha in disbelief, replying, "That's crazyy, I can't even read a map."

"Pulled over and asked the guy at the gas station," one person writes as another chimes in under the comment, "and then ask the guy down the street to make sure you told me right."

Imagine being a gas station attendant in the 90s while also being directionally challenged. Was that part of the hiring process, memorizing directions for when customers came in angry or crying because they were lost? Not knowing where you were going before the invention of the internet was also a bit of a brain exercise laced with exposure therapy for those with anxiety. There were no cell phones so if you were lost no one who cared about you would know until you could find a payphone to check in.

The world is so overly connected today that the idea of not being able to simply share your location with loved ones and "Ask Siri" when you've gotten turned around on your route seems dystopian. But in actuality, if you took a few teens from 1993 and plopped them into 2024 they'd think they were living inside of a sci-fi movie awaiting aliens to invade.

Technology has made our lives infinitely easier and nearly unrecognizable from the future most could've imagined before the year 2000, so it's not Gen Z's fault that they're unaware of how the "before times" were. They're simply a product of their generation.

This article originally appeared last year.

Health

Woman uses her super sense of smell to help scientists detect Parkinson's in minutes

Joy Milne first smelled the disease on her husband 10 years before his diagnosis.

There is currently no definitive test to detect Parkinson's.

We don’t always choose our gifts. Joy Milne’s superpower, one she inherited from her mother’s side of the family, was having a highly acute sense of smell. Milne might have never used her olfactory talent as a force for good had it not been for her late husband, Les Milne.

According to NPR, Les and Joy met in their teens and it was love at first sniff. "He had a lovely male musk smell. He really did," she told NPR.

After many years of a happy marriage, Joy noticed her husband, then in his 30s, had developed an “overpowering sort of nasty yeast smell.” The running joke-slash-complaint was that Les “wasn’t washing enough.”

Eventually Les’ scent wouldn’t be the only thing to change. Joy told NPR that her once funny, thoughtful husband completely transformed, becoming “moody,” irritable, and even aggressive. He wouldn’t receive a proper Parkinson’s diagnosis until the age of 45.

Joy didn’t suspect that she could somehow detect the disease until going with Les to a Parkinson’s support group and noticing that the same distinctive smell seemed to fill the room. After sharing the discovery with her husband, she knew she had to take action.

Joy began working with researchers at University of Edinburgh and through a series of experiments confirmed that she could sniff out Parkinson’s with flawless accuracy. Now scientists have created a breakthrough method of detection based on Joy’s special ability.

parkinsons

This new test works in mere minutes.

Twitter

Under the belief that Parkinson’s affects a person’s odor due to a chemical change in sebum, or skin oil, doctors simply run a cotton ball along the back of the neck, then identify specific molecules linked to the neurological condition. TheBBC reported that the skin-swab test is 95% accurate under laboratory conditions.

Though this medical advancement is still in its early stages, the discovery is promising. There is currently no definitive test to get a Parkinson’s diagnosis and, as Joy explained to Sky News, it is often not identified until patients have “over 50% of neuronal damage.”

Les died in 2015 at 65. An earlier diagnosis might have provided the opportunity to improve his lifestyle, which could possibly have offset symptoms. “It has been found that exercise and change of diet can make a phenomenal difference,” Joy told The Guardian.

She also recalled to BBC News that it would have meant having an explanation for the mood swings, not to mention traveling, spending more time with family… essentially, making the most out of what time was left. That perhaps is the biggest saving grace an early diagnosis could offer.

Les’ final wish before he passed was for Joy to continue using her gift, assuring that "it will make a difference." Joy is keeping that promise and currently extending her “super smeller” power to help smell other diseases like cancer and tuberculosis (TB).

While she notes that her superpower does make outings like shopping a “curse sometimes,” she also sees it as a “benefit” allowing her to help others.


This article originally appeared three years ago.

via JustusMoms29/TikTok (used with permission)

Justus Stroup is starting to realize her baby's name isn't that common.

One of the many surprises that come with parenthood is how the world reacts to your child’s name. It’s less of a surprise if your child has a common name like John, Mohammed, or Lisa. But if you give your child a non-traditional name that’s gender-neutral, you’re going to throw a lot of folks off-guard and mispronunciations are going to be an issue.

This exact situation happened with TikTok user Justus Stroup, who recently had her second child, but there’s a twist: she isn’t quite sure how to pronounce her child’s name either. "I may have named my daughter a name I can't even pronounce," Stroup opens the video. "Now, I think I can pronounce it, but I've told a couple of people her name and there are two people who thought I said the same exact thing. So, I don't know that I know how to [pronounce] her name correctly."


@justusmoms29

Just when you think you name your child something normal! #2under2mom #postpartum #newborn #momsoftiktok #uniquenames #babyname #babygirl #sahm #momhumor

Stroup’s daughter is named Sutton and the big problem is how people around her pronounce the Ts. Stroup tends to gloss over the Ts, so it sounds like Suh-en. However, some people go hard on the Ts and call her “Sut-ton.”

"I'm not gonna enunciate the 'Ts' like that. It drives me absolutely nuts," she noted in her TikTok video. "I told a friend her name one time, and she goes, 'Oh, that's cute.' And then she repeated the name back to me and I was like, 'No, that is not what I said.'"

Stroup also had a problem with her 2-year-old son’s speech therapist, who thought the baby’s name was Sun and that there weren’t any Ts in the name at all. "My speech therapist, when I corrected her and spelled it out, she goes, 'You know, living out in California, I have friends who named their kids River and Ocean, so I didn't think it was that far off.'"

Stroup told People that she got the name from a TV show called “The Lying Game,” which she used to watch in high school. "Truthfully, this was never a name on my list before finding out I was pregnant with a girl, but after finding out the gender, it was a name I mentioned and my husband fell in love with," says Stroup. "I still love the name. I honestly thought I was picking a strong yet still unique name. I still find it to be a pretty name, and I love that it is gender neutral as those are the type of names I love for girls."

The mother could choose the name because her husband named their son Greyson.



The commenters thought Stroup should tell people it’s Sutton, pronounced like a button. “I hear it correctly! Sutton like Button. I would pronounce it like you, too!” Amanda wrote.

“My daughter’s name is Sutton. I say it the same way as you. When people struggle with her name, I say it’s Button but with a S. That normally immediately gets them to pronounce it correctly,” Megan added.

After the video went viral, Stroup heard from people named Hunter and Peyton, who are dealing with a similar situation. “I've also noticed the two most common names who run into the same issue are Hunter (people pronouncing it as Hunner or HUNT-ER) and Payton (pronounced Pey-Ton or Pey-tin, most prefer it as Pey-tin),” she told Upworthy.

“Another person commented saying her name is Susan and people always think it is Season or Steven,” Stroup told Upworthy. After having her second child, she learned that people mix up even the simplest names. “No name is safe at this point,” she joked.

The whole situation has Stroup rethinking how she pronounces her daughter’s name. Hopefully, she got some advance on how to tell people how to pronounce it, or else she’ll have years of correcting people in front of her. "Good lord, I did not think this was going to be my issue with this name," she said.

This article originally appeared last year.

You don't have to watch hockey to enjoy Nick the Goalie's running commentary.

Goalkeepers and goaltenders in all kinds of sports play a unique role on a team. While other players have to communicate and strategize with one another as they play, a goalie just has one job—keep the ball/puck/etc. out of the goal. It's a hugely important job, but pretty straightforward.

When their team is on the other side of a field or rink, goalies watch and wait. Since their teammates know and trust that they're watching the action, they don't really have to interact with anyone most of the time. And while they can't totally zone out, they have all kinds of time to themselves while the action is happening far away.

Have you ever seen what happens when a person—especially someone who likes to talk—has a whole lot of time to themselves and no one to talk to?

Meet Nick Weston, who is giving everyone a glimpse into a world most of us only watch from afar and never get to hear. Weston is an amateur hockey player from Vancouver, Canada, who has become a TikTok sensation with his mic'd-up goalie videos under his nickname, Nick the Goalie.

Do you remember the snowboarding 4-year-old in a dinosaur costume who coined the phrase "I'm a stuck-a-saurus!" and won hearts with her adorably entertaining monologuing? Nick the Goalie is like that, only as a grown man playing a team sport.

People love Nick the Goalie's wholesome self-talk as he performs his goalie duties with gusto. (Though he often wears a Vancouver Canucks jersey, he doesn't play for a National Hockey League team. As he explained to CTV, he gets brought in to play goaltender on various local league teams.)

His videos have even been shared by ESPN and the NHL, and the comments on his videos are as fabulous as his running commentary.

Watch:

@nickthegoalie_1

Mine! #hockey #goalie #nhl #hockeyboys

"This is how I imagine a golden retriever's internal monologue. He's SO excited, I love it," wrote one commenter on Reddit.

"Only reason I gravitated towards the goalie position, other than my hatred of running, was my need to constantly sing to myself. Can relate so hard," wrote another.

A whole thread of soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse goalkeepers, as well as baseball catchers and outfielders, confirmed that this is exactly what they do—monologue, monologue, monologue.

@nickthegoalie_1

I COULD’VE DROPPED MY CROISSANT 🥐 #hockey #goalie #nhl #hockeyboys

It's hard not to smile at the the wholesomeness and hilarity of his self-talk. The singing, the squealing, the trash talk to no one in particular—it's all just so delightful.

@nickthegoalie_1

This video is a lot to take in #hockey #goalie #hockeyboys #nhl

Even people who aren't that into ice hockey are commenting with how much they enjoy his videos. As one person wrote, "Ok fine I’ll watch sports if I can get this insider commentary for every game."

So much fun. Recently, Weston has been using his social media fame to raise money for the Canucks Autism Network in addition to sharing the sport he loves. As of 2024, over 1.1 million has been raised.

Keep following Nick the Goalie on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram.


This article originally appeared three years ago.

Pets

Man finds a mysterious egg in London, incubates it, and launches a Pixar-worthy journey of love

When Riyadh found an abandoned egg, he had no idea that it would change his life.

Courtesy of Riyadh Khalaf/Instagram (used with permission)

When Riyadh found an egg, he had no idea how much it would change his life.

The story of Riyadh and Spike starts like the opening to a children's book: "One day, a man walking through the city spotted a lone egg where an egg should not have been…" And between that beginning and the story's mostly sweet ending is a beautiful journey of curiosity, care, and connection that has captivated people all over the world.

Irish author Riyadh Khalaf was out walking in London when he came upon an egg. "We just found what we think is a duck egg," Riyadh says in a video showing the milky white egg sitting in a pile of dirt. "Just sitting here on its own. No nest. No other eggs."

Thinking there was no way it was going to survive on its own, Riyadh put the egg in a paper cup cushioned with a napkin and took it home to incubate it. He said he used to breed chickens and pigeons, so he had some experience with birds. Knowing the egg could survive for a while in a dormant state, he ordered an incubator on Amazon, and the journey to see if the egg was viable began.

Even though it was "just an egg," Riyadh quickly became attached, and once it showed signs of life he took on the role of "duck dad." Every day, the egg showed a drastic change in development, and Riyadh's giddy joy at each new discovery—movement, a discernible eye, a beak outline—was palpable. He devoured information on ducks to learn as much as he could about the baby he was (hopefully) about to hatch and care for.

Finally, 28 days later, the shell of the egg began to crack. "I could see this very clear outline of the most gorgeous little round bill," Riyadh said—confirmation that it was, indeed, a duck as he had suspected. But duckling hatching is a process, and one they have to do it on their own. Ducklings instinctively know to turn the egg as it hatches so that the umbilical cord detaches, and the whole process can take up to 48 hours. Riyadh watched and monitored until he finally fell asleep, but at 4:51am, 29 hours after the egg had started to hatch, he awakened to the sound of tweets.

"There was just this little wet alien staring back at me," he said. "It was love at first sight."

Riyadh named his rescue duckling Spike. Once Spike was ready to leave the incubator, he moved into "Duckingham Palace," a setup with all of the things he would need to grow into a healthy, self-sufficient duck—including things that contribute to his mental health. (Apparently ducklings can die from poor mental health, which can happen when they don't have other ducks to interact with—who knew?)

"My son shall not only survive, but he shall thrive!" declared the proud papa.

Riyadh knew it would be impossible for Spike to not imprint on him somewhat, but he didn't want him to see him as his mother. Riyadh set up mirrors so that Spike could see another duckling (even though it was just himself) and used a surrogate stuffed duck to teach him how to do things like eat food with his beak. He used a duck whistle and hid his face from Spike while feeding him, and he played duck sounds on his computer to accustom Spike to the sounds of his species.

"It's just such a fulfilling process to watch a small being learn," said Riyadh.

As Spike grew, Riyadh took him to the park to get him accustomed to the outdoors and gave him opportunities to swim in a small bath. He learned to forage and do all the things a duck needs to do. Throughout, Riyadh made sure that Spike was getting the proper balanced nutrition he needed as well. Check this out:


After 89 days, the day finally came for Spike to leave Riyadh's care and be integrated into a community of his kind "to learn how to properly be a duck." A rehabilitation center welcomed him in and he joined a flock in an open-air facility where he would be able to choose whether to stay or to leave once he became accustomed to flying. Within a few weeks of being at the rehabilitation center, his signature mallard colors developed, marking his transition from adolescence. Spike has been thriving with his flock, and Riyadh was even able to share video of his first flight.

This is the where "And they all lived happily ever after" would be a fitting end to the story, but unfortunately, Spike and his fowl friends are living in trying times. The rehabilitation center was notified by the U.K. government in December of 2024 that the duck flock needed to be kept indoors for the time being to protect them from a bird flu outbreak and keep it from spreading.

Building an entire building for a flock of ducks is not a simple or cheap task, so Riyadh called on his community of "daunties" and "duncles" who had been following Spike's story to help with a fundraiser to build a "Duckingham Palace" for the whole flock. Riyadh's followers quickly raised over £11,000, which made a huge difference for the center's owners to be able to protect Spike and his friends.

All in all, Riyadh and Spike's story is a testament to what can happen when people genuinely care. If Riyadh had left that egg where it was, it may not have made it. If Spike hadn't survived and been moved to the rehab center, the ducks there would be in greater danger of the bird flu due to the costs of building an indoor shelter for them. Despite the ongoing bird flu threat, the story really does have a happy ending.

Thank to Riyadh for sharing Spike's journey with us. (You can follow Riyadh on Instagram here.)