Beth Stern, left, accepts a donation of blankets from Jessica Mashkevich of Millstone Township on behalf of the North Shore Animal League, Port Washington, N.Y. Jessica Mashkevich, the chief comfort officer at Kona Benellie, Millstone Township, is seeing success in her mission to help shelter dogs. To that end, her company recently launched an indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to give people a chance to join the effort.
“We are proud to have built a company that gives back to shelter dogs and provides people with products they love, like the throwbee [for people] and the Kona pet blanket,” Mashkevich said.
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by soliciting small donations from many people, typically via the Internet, Mashkevich explained. Indiegogo is the crowdfunding platform Mashkevich is using to accomplish her goal.
To date, she said, Kona Benellie has donated more than 1,000 new blankets to dogs in animal shelters and rescue facilities locally and nationwide.
“The best thing about this is that my customers are the ones who help make this happen,” Mashkevich said.
This month, Kona Benellie will help Best Friends Animal Society, which is based in Utah, set up a New York (tri-state) hub. Mashkevich plans to donate 100 shelter blankets to the society.
Recently, an exciting part of her charitable venture saw Mashkevich travel to the North Shore Animal League, Port Washington, N.Y., to make the largest donation her company has made to date — 500 blankets.
Animal advocate Beth Stern, the wife of media personality Howard Stern, accepted the donation on behalf of the North Shore Animal League.
Mashkevich thanked Stern for showing support for her and Kona Benellie, saying, “It means so much to me and my company that Beth Stern showed great support. This validates that even a small business can help make a big difference in the life of a homeless animal. We hope this inspires people to continue to give back.” Mashkevich said she was impressed with the North Shore Animal League for several reasons.
“The North Shore Animal League has a broad reach and conducts activities on local, regional and national levels,” Mashkevich said. “Their mission is to rescue, nurture and adopt as many companion animals as possible. While it is based in New York, they help many, many shelters and animal organizations in New Jersey.”
Mashkevich started Kona Benellie four years ago. For every product purchased by customers, the company donates a blanket to a shelter dog. Her family dog, Kona, is the cornerstone of Kona Benellie.
“Not only is she the namesake, but she awakens love and compassion from everyone she comes in contact with,” Mashkevich said. “She is my muse.”
Mashkevich has lived in Millstone Township for more than 10 years. She and her husband, Vlad, have two children, Ben, 14, and Ellie, 11.
“My family is very supportive of my efforts and are active participants in helping our company grow,” Mashkevich said.
In guiding a small business, Mashkevich aims to inspire others and has dreams for the future.
“We inspire others when we lead by example,” she said. “People see us as a company that has great products with a great mission. And we walk the talk. We post a lot of pictures of our shelter blanket-giving trips and show people how Kona Benellie is bringing comfort to shelter dogs all over the nation.”
For more information, call 973-420- 2442 or visit www.konabenellie.com.