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Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/375622
giving back The concept… Lubetzky grew up hearing stories from his father, a Holocaust survivor, about the power of kindness. As much as he spoke about the horrors he endured, he always made sure to remind his son about the occasions when in the darkest moments, people would show him small acts of kindness—and how that helped him survive. These teachings directly influenced the creation of Kind Snacks and the Kind Movement. The initiative is made possible by the robust sales of Kind's 23 varieties of Kind Bars, Kind Healthy Grains Clusters, and Kind Healthy Grains Bars. "We don't view the Kind Movement as a sales driver or boost to our bottom line," says director of communications Elle Lanning, who runs the program. "It's a way to activate our com- munity and inspire kindness in authentic ways." The effort has evolved over the past decade, with the latest incarnation being Kind Causes, which helps individuals and orga- nizations bring their social impact ideas to life through monthly $10,000 grants. "This program has been successful thus far because it empowers others to share what kindness means to them," she says. Since its launch in late 2013, Kind Causes has awarded funding to nine causes, using Kind's own dollars to support them. Getting the word out… People are encouraged to join the Kind Movement in a number of ways, whether applying for a grant through Kind Causes or participating in the #kindawesome project, a social pay-it-forward effort. Kind's regional field marketing teams, numbering some 260 employees in 26 communities across the coun- try, look out for random acts of kindness to reward with a free Kind bar. "We give out these cards whenever we notice someone doing a kind act," Lanning explains of #kindawesome. "The recipient can then go on our website to receive Kind bars and another card to pass on and continue to celebrate spreading kindness." Created in 2008, these kind acts can be publicly tracked by the card's unique code on the interactive online platform KindED.com, and shared on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #kindawesome. This year, the company launched Strong & Kind, a program created to challenge deep-rooted stereotypes and redefine cultural perceptions of strength and kindness, with a particular focus on teenage boys. Kind has released a corresponding line of Strong & Kind bars, in such savory f lavors as hickory smoked and roasted jalapeño. The campaign's goal is to have 1 million people pledge to spread the message, "It's strong to be kind." "We're excited about making this message more tangible for people everywhere with the help of our partner Kevin Durant," Lanning says. Durant, a basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is the NBA's leading scorer this season and a five-time NBA All-Star. He appears in a series of ads promoting the Strong & Kind campaign. As part of the partnership, Kind has made a dona- tion to the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation to support specialized programming that teaches youth the Strong & Kind message in their own lives. During the summer, 35 organizations were selected to receive up to $10,000 in funds. Says Lanning, "It's been amazing to see the many shapes and forms kindness takes." Biggest challenges… To successfully operate a not-only-for- profit company, Lanning believes the business and social mission should support and advance one another. "A social mission can give you loyalty from your consumer. It can distinguish you from others, inspire your team to work hard, and create goodwill and loyalty—all with the ultimate goal of changing the world for the better," she explains. What a social mission won't do is create frequent pur- chases, she warns. "If you want to create a sustainable business, your product needs to stand and win on its own merit and fit the value AT-A-GLANCE: THE KIND MOVEMENT Kind Causes: a grantmaking program that helps individuals and organizations bring their social impact ideas to life through monthly $10,000 grants #Kindawesome: a social pay-it-forward effort meant to inspire people to celebrate and facilitate acts of kindness, including #kindawesome cards, which Kind team members hand out to do-gooders to redeem for free snack bars, which recipients can then pay forward Strong & Kind: a program created to challenge deep-rooted stereotypes and redefine cultural perceptions of strength and kindness, with a particular focus on teenage boys Kind's flower wall, a roving installation that encourages people to give a flower to a friend or stranger. 78 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com