Jessica Alba’s Honest Company is valued at $1.7 billion, according to Forbes. But the businesswoman, 37, knows what it’s like to pinch pennies.
“I remember growing up, my mom put stuff on layaway for, like, a year to pay our Christmas,” Alba told Us Weekly and other reporters at the Baby2Baby Holiday Party presented by FRAME at the Montage in Beverly Hills, on Sunday, December 16. “My dad was in the military, we shopped at a commissary. My mom did the best she could even though we didn’t have a lot.”
At Sunday’s event, the Sin City actress mingled with parents and children served by Baby2Baby, a charity that provides low-income families with diapers, clothing and other basic necessities. Entertainment included a toy shop, photos with Santa Claus, an arts and crafts station and a gift exchange.
“It’s a mix of some presents for kids and then also essentials,” Alba explained. “Not every family has a safe place to sleep and so they have an ask list of stuff that they just don’t have … especially if they’re living in shelters. A sleeping bag is their child’s bed.”
The entrepreneur and her husband of 10 years, Cash Warren, are parents of Honor, 10, Haven, 7, and Hayes, 11 months. Alba and the Pair of Thieves sock company cofounder are encouraging their kids’ charitable spirit — though it’s tricky.
“You know, when your children don’t understand anything but their own reality, it’s tough to try and teach them things,” Alba admitted. “Like, not everyone gets to live as comfortably as you. And so we try to do it in our own way. Cash is so dedicated. His life work is dedicated to social consciousness and giving back and so is mine.”
Warren, 39, pointed out that giving back doesn’t always have to be about donating money or objects. “It doesn’t always have to be from a socio-economic standpoint,” he said. “It’s also having a heart and having compassion and helping a fellow human.”
With reporting by Emily Marcus
