‘Every Mama Needs a Village’: A Dozen Cousins Names Kindred Space LA as 2023 Social Impact Grantee

A Dozen Cousins has announced The Birthing People Foundation, the non-profit arm of Kindred Space LA, as the recipient of its 2023 Social Impact Grant as the brand works to shed light on the issue of Black maternal health.

According to founder and CEO Ibraheem Basir, the four-year-old, Black-owned food brand was created with the mission of helping all Americans “live a healthy lifestyle, regardless of who they are, where they live or how much they make.”

Recognizing that the brand’s heat-and-eat beans, rice and sauces premium price point of $35 per 10-pack and $45 per 12-pack may exclude some consumers, Basir created the Social Impact Grant. The initiative is designed to fund programs that “bring a light” to issues faced by people of color and low-income consumers. According to Basir, people living in underserved communities (such as low-income families and members of certain ethnic minorities) face obstacles to living a healthy lifestyle and are at a greater risk for diet-related illnesses such as obesity, hypertension and high blood pressure.

“It made me think, if our products can reach a certain segment of consumers, how can we help other communities that might still be in need? Particularly Black and Brown and poor consumers in America,” said Basir.

Last year the brand partnered with REI for the initiative, raising money for Hike Clerb, an LA-based intersectional women’s hike club inspired to take action by the lack of representation of people of color in the outdoors. The contribution funded the ‘Night Clerb’ program, which featured two overnight experiences in Southern California facilitating a way for Black, Indigenous and women of color to experience the outdoors collectively through activities such as camping and backpacking.

This year, the brand landed on the issue of Black maternal health. “A lot of what underlies the maternal health crisis, ultimately, is implicit racism. It’s doctors not believing their patients […] there’s a lot of stuff that goes into it, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously,” said Basir.

The 2023 grantee, Kindred Space LA, is a Los Angeles-based, Black-owned birthing center working to eliminate the maternal and infant health disparities in communities of color.

“In this case [with Kindred Space LA], where you have a Black woman running a center and you have a Black midwife that’s caring for a patient, a lot of these biases kind of fade away,” said Basir. “In addition, they have a nonprofit arm (The Birthing People Foundation) where they essentially provide those services to the community free of charge.”

To raise money for the non-profit, A Dozen Cousins has released a Mama Meal Kit designed to give moms a break, said Basir. The kit includes A Dozen Cousins Trini Chickpea Curry, Refried Black Beans, Refried Pinto Beans and Sea Salt Bone Broth Rice as well as products from Black-owned, women-led brand Partake (Soft Baked Lemon Cookies and Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies) and Black-owned, women-led superfood health and beauty brand Golde (Shroom Shield and Coconut Collagen Boost).

“As a new mom, this cause is very close to my heart. When my daughter was born, I chose the non-traditional route of homebirth via a midwife in part due to my concerns at the poor health outcomes for Black mothers and their babies,” said Golde co-founder and CEO Trinity Mouzon Wofford. “I’m so proud to be partnered with two brands I love and founders I admire to bring this partnership to life”

“Every family deserves to feel safe, seen, heard and cared for as they bring new life into the world. Partake is honored to partner with Golde and A Dozen Cousins to fund the 2023 Social Impact Grant to Kindred Space LA,” said Partake founder and CEO Denise Woodward.

The meal kit is available via A Dozen Cousins’ website now through Mother’s Day for $39.99. All proceeds will be donated to Kindred Space LA’s Birthing People Foundation. To make the impact even greater, The Honey Pot Co. will be matching donations for every kit sold.

“At its core, our brand is all about celebrating culture. We want to use food as a tool to celebrate culture,” said Basir.