Student-run nonprofit offers way for moms to earn money
Since 2014, a student-run nonprofit at Brown University empowers single moms in Rhode Island to earn a parttime income by knitting winter hats and scarves. The organization, Tink Knit, has partially employed more than 100 local parents since the idea was developed by a group of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design students.
Brown junior Anna Lapre, who is a junior studying applied mathematics and computer science, is Tink Knit’s current copresident.
Q. How does Tink Knit work? A. We teach moms in the local Providence area how to knit hats. When we sell the hats, we give the moms the profit to help them earn a supplemental income.
Q. What’s the overall impact of Tink Knit at Brown?
A. In the 10 years we’ve been operating, the program has provided more than 100 single mothers a new, part-time income at home while they can take care of their family, while also empowering them to develop sustainable skills. Since 2014, Tink Knit has returned more than $50,000 directly to Providence-area mothers.
Q. How many single parents are you currently working with, on average, annually?
A. Each year, we work with about 15 to 20 parents. Moms will drop in and out of the program depending on their interest and time. We work with Healthy Families America, a program at Meeting Street in Providence, which helps us identify moms who want to be involved. Other parents have found out about us through other means and started working with us directly.
Q. How many hats are typically made and sold per year?
A. This also varies, but we’re selling hundreds of hats. We’re usually selling them through Brown’s bookstore, at pop-up events, and in other spaces on campus — such as the main quad, or in cafes. We also have a website, and we’ll begin selling online soon.
Q. If each hat costs about $30, how much of that is going to the parents and what is going back into the organization?
A. Once a mom finishes a hat and gives it to us, we immediately give her $15 per hat. Supporting the moms is not dependent on whether we sell their hat or not. The rest of those funds are used for yarn and other materials.
Q. How long does it take, on average, to even knit a whole hat?
A. Some of the moms we work with can knit a hat in two hours. For others, it can take a little longer.
Q. What are the biggest challenges Tink Knit has heading into its 10th year, and how do you plan on overcoming those challenges?
A. Having the manpower on the operating side to actually run the nonprofit, but also for marketing and teaching the moms.
But also, trying to sell hats that are more than $30 to our target audience — which is mostly college students — is pretty challenging, and the price of goods to make the actual hats is increasing. It’s great when parents come for Family Weekend, who see the hats and want to support us. But we plan on redesigning our website so we can start selling more on there to reach a larger audience.
Q. What are your goals for the next year?
A. Definitely recruitment to get more undergraduates involved to keep Tink Knit alive. But we’re also interested in looking into expanding into other products outside of just hats. I think there are certain products we could begin selling that would make this effort more sustainable, and have a broader impact.