Whether you’re on a college campus or in a big city, you may have seen someone on the street or at events near you with a big smile, a branded t-shirt and a whole lot of KIND bars to give out. And if you’re around Boston, it’s very possible that who you see on the street is me.

I’m the KIND University Ambassador (KUA) at Boston University, and although the perk of eating KIND bars often is a great one, I have most gratitude for how the job has taught me to be a little kinder at all opportunities.

What I Do

As a KUA, I get to promote the brand by providing KIND bars at events around campus, events that I plan and run (like an amazing HIIT/yoga combo class this past March), and just walking down the street giving out KIND bars before morning classes or on rainy afternoons.

What KIND Stands For

Rachel Hartman

KIND Snacks makes healthy, and might I add delicious, snacks with ingredients that you can see and pronounce. The transparent packaging for snack bars that is meant to be just that: transparent. With whole ingredients, like whole nuts and whole grains, KIND’s products provide important nutrients and tons of flavor.

And as much as I love the products themselves, I love what the company believes in equally as much. KIND’s mission is to make the world a little kinder, one snack and act of kindness at a time. At KIND, it’s held true that the power of kindness can change the world.

How KIND Has Made Me Kinder

Rachel Hartman

KIND’s Mission doesn’t limit acts of kindness to just what we normally think. The company encourages being kind to your body, your taste buds, and your world.

Let’s start backwards. I’ve always been someone to give up my seat on the subway and spend time devoted to community engagement and service as much as I can. But since I’ve started working for KIND, I feel like it’s even more embedded in me to seek opportunities to spread kindness to the world.

Rachel Hartman

I carry around KIND bars in my bag for anyone who looks like they could use a snack, whether it be a classmate before a test or someone on the street with a cup of change and a sign of hopelessness. I have the opportunity to partner and interact with organizations around campus and the city that align with KIND’s mission.

I am constantly inspired by the driven, community-oriented individuals and groups that I get to spend time with while I represent KIND at philanthropy events, fundraisers, and empowering events of people wanting to make changes in the world.

Being kind to your taste buds is also something that I’ve learned has more depth to it than it sounds. Food is meant to fuel us, to provide energy and nutrients we need to be active, work our brains, and stay healthy in the long term. In tandem with being kind to our bodies, this is something crucial to remember when making choices of what to prepare for meals and what snacks to pack for mid-day pick-me-ups.

KIND has been a constant reminder for me to hold for myself as well as to spread through the job and just as a human being that it’s important to be kind to yourself by finding a balance among everything. Find the solutions, much like KIND bars, that make you happy and taste good but also will fuel you to learn, grow, get stronger, and spend time spreading your own kindness to others.