John Paul DeJoria was six years old when his mother handed him and his brother a single dime one Christmas. Wondering what the money was for, John looked at his mother. She asked him to drop it into a bucket beside a man ringing a bell outside a downtown Los Angeles department store.
DeJoria first became homeless at 22. DeJoria made an initial donation of $150,000 in 2009, and the work has since continued through his foundation. It has helped more than 13,000 families grow almost 8 million pounds of produce, according to the programme.
The coin could buy a few candy bars back then, and the boys wanted to know why they had given it away. Their usual Christmas treat was a visit to see the holiday displays. The lesson stayed with John Paul DeJoria for the rest of his life. It guided him through two periods of homelessness and remained central to his outlook even after he became a billionaire. Having experienced hardship himself, he would go on to make giving back a defining part of his life. From feeding orphans and helping homeless people find employment to protecting whales, rescuing young girls from prostitution and helping Appalachian families grow their own food, DeJoria has made philanthropy a central part of his life. Going from homelessness to billionaire status is a journey few can imagine. He came home from a job at a vehicle show to find that his wife had emptied their bank account, left their two-year-old son in the living room with a note, and left the rent and utility bills unpaid. The landlord was preparing to evict them. The same year, he and his family established the JP’s Peace, Love & Happiness Foundation. The foundation reflects his personal interests, including food security, support for homeless people and veterans, animal protection, and the protection of vulnerable women and children. The foundation’s best-known project is Grow Appalachia, an initiative of Berea College in Kentucky. The programme teaches families to grow their own produce.