The dream behind Royal Oak Candles began in 2020. I had been a volunteer for my local humane society for about 5 years at the time. As COVID became a reality, the weight of what shelters, and the homeless pets they care for, were about to go through started to hit me.

Over the next couple months, I wondered if there was something I could do for my favorite charities that didn’t necessitate being there in-person but could still provide benefit to them. Further cause for reflection came in July 2020, when my grandmother passed away. She lived a life devoted to service and helping the disadvantaged. At her funeral, my cousin read a message she had once written to him in a card that included the line, “…there are so many good causes and so few volunteers.”

I know many of us took up new hobbies during that time, and in August, I made my first batch of candles for fun. However, it quickly evolved into me dreaming of it being not just a pastime, but rather a project to financially support charities who are already hard at work helping. Over the next couple years, I worked hard to make better and better candles until I felt that they were worthy of being sold. It was a labor of love for the work that my favorite animal rescues do and for the animals they serve.

In January of 2023, Royal Oak Candles became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. I do not make any money from this project. I keep only my cost of goods, and I donate all proceeds net of expenses to charity. My hope is that I have created a candle you can be excited to burn and feel good about purchasing. My mission is to help my favorite animal-related charities do what they do best, serve our community.

As of November 2024, I’ve been lucky enough to partner with For The Cats’ Sake to hopefully reach a wider audience. My candles can now be purchased through this wonderful rescue in Flint Hill, VA.

Featured on this page are photos my cats: Isis, Bean (RIP 6/24), Layla, and Rodney. Adopt, don’t shop! Thank you for your interest!