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Pittsburgh Water Entrepreneur Uses Success To Give Back

Creator Of GIVE Water Helps Charities

POSTED: 7:10 pm EST January 9, 2009
UPDATED: 8:39 pm EST January 9, 2009

A tiny company created by a 19-year-old Pittsburgh entrepreneur has ballooned into a booming business that's making a difference -- one drop at a time.

The idea to create GIVE water came from four soon-to-be college students who wanted to lead a company where a portion of the sale would go to charity.

Cases of the water were stacked high inside the enormous facility at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, making even the biggest donations look like a drop in the bucket.

"That water will be on the inventory and it will go out to agencies in the next week or two and it will be gone," said Iris Valanti of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

With more than 2,000 new people signing up to get assistance each month, everything counts.

"The Food Bank distributes more than 20 million pounds a year, so any one donation may seem small, but when you put them together it's a lot of food," said Valanti.

That's one of the reasons that college student and GIVE founder Ben Lewis decided to give back.

Lewis' venture into the bottled water business has been a success -- donating 10 cents for every purchase.

The outcome has made taken his company nationwide.

"We've expanded throughout the east coast and we'll be expanding throughout the west coast next month. We've expanded into part of Canada," said Lewis. "As we expand in the new markets, we're working with local and regional charities in those markets, so if you are buying a bottle in Boston, the money goes to a Boston charity. If you are buying a bottle in Miami, then your money is going to a Miami charity."

Lewis plans to launch a biodegradable bottle -- the first of its kind.
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