KIND Launched a Snack Bar That Will Help Empower Homeless LGBTQIA+ Youth During Pride Month
KIND
Without the usual boisterous parades, downpours of bright, colorful confetti, and rainbow-clad folks flooding downtown streets to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, Pride month looks completely different this year. But COVID-19, and the resulting cancellations of in-person Pride events, aren't stopping KIND Snacks from showing its support and doing what it does best: spreading kindness.
Throughout June, the brand is selling its second-annual, limited-edition KIND Pride bar, a Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt bar with a rainbow wrapper inspired by the Pride flag. Along with satisfying your growling stomach during snack time, the bar will help support homeless LGBTQIA+ youth in New York City. All net proceeds (up to $50,000) from the KIND Pride bar will be donated to the Ali Forney Center (AFC), an organization dedicated to providing homeless LGBTQIA+ teens and young adults with housing and support services, including food, medical care, mental health services, and more. (FYI: The LGBTQIA+ community often gets worse healthcare than their straight peers.)
The partnership between KIND and the AFC dates back to 2017, when KIND team members across the country took a day off to volunteer, including with the AFC, as part of the company's annual Day of Service. In the three years since, nearly 100 KIND employees have volunteered with the organization. But the AFC's services are needed now more than ever before due to the effects of COVID-19, according to a KIND spokesperson.
The KIND Pride bar, however, is a part of a bigger philanthropic initiative at the snack brand. Back in June 2019—when the Pride bar made its debut—the company launched its KIND Snack & Give Back Project, a multi-year program supporting organizations that inspire and empower others. In honor of Veteran's Day in 2019, KIND released its Heroes bar benefitting Hope for the Warriors, which provides assistance to wounded service members and their families. Ahead of International Women's Day in February, the company introduced its Equality bar to aid the Alice Paul Institute, a non-profit committed to advancing gender equality. (Related: How Nicole Maines Is Paving the Way for the Next Generation of LGBTQIA+ Youth)
As the brand continues its Snack & Give Back Project, KIND hopes to support underserved communities, spread more compassion, and elevate values like kindness and empathy, according to a spokesperson from the brand.
You can do something sweet for those in need *and* satisfy your sweet-meets-salty cravings this Pride month by picking up a bar (or six, TBH) from your local Wegmans, Duane Reade, or New York City corner store, and online at kindsnacks.com while supplies last.
