If you’re in need of a locally made $10 dollar holiday gift,
Random Snacks of Kindness is now available, and 100 percent of the profits will benefit
ArtWorks, a nonprofit organization that employs and trains local youth and talent to create art and community impact through three strategic programming areas: public art, art therapy and entrepreneurship.
The snack mix is the first of what local chef Frances Kroner hopes will be many productions in her philanthropic line.
“My parents are in social work and nursing, and I always felt a little guilty—like I didn’t give back as much as I’d like to in my life or my career,” says Kroner of
Feast and
Sleepy Bee Café, which is her newest venture, set to open next month in
Oakley.
Random Snacks of Kindness is what Kroner calls “a sort of merging of a lot of different things in life all at once.”
In addition to being a way to give back, the idea for the first project came as a response to her experience in ArtWorks’
SpringBoard business development program.
“I got to know them better and how they work with
apprentices and thought it was a really cool organization,” Kroner says. “I had seen the murals and heard of them, but I got a glimpse into the back end of things once I went through SpringBoard, and after I finished, I wanted to stay connected.”
So Kroner pitched an idea to the organization that would take the apprenticeships the organization already had in place, and expand them from mural-based art to food-based design and entrepreneurial skills.
“I didn’t realize how big an impact it was going to have on them, but you can tell already that it was such an eye opener to them to see how much work goes into a product—how much work goes into a business,” Kroner says. “I think they’ll probably retain that knowledge—they’ll remember for a long time.”
Watch a video introducing Random Snacks of Kindness to learn more.
Do Good:
• Support ArtWorks by
purchasing the apprentices' Ginger Coconut Snack Mix.
• If your nonprofit would like to partner with Random Snacks of Kindness to create a mix in the future,
contact Frances Kroner.
• Like Random Snacks of Kindness on
Facebook, and share the page with your friends.
By Brittany York
Brittany York is a professor of English composition at both the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.