Rewards
Darn Good Yarn is so much more than your average yarn company. We strive everyday to positively impact everything we do, from sourcing our materials, to hiring our artisans. One of our main goals is to support sustainable and fair jobs around the globe through ethical sourcing, and working with producers and organizations that have similar goals.
We also focus on sourcing products and developing supply chains that benefit disadvantaged populations, including people groups that face issues of gender, caste, racial discrimination. We are proud to say we support around 700 artisans in India. They are always paid a living wage and guaranteed year round employment. We also seek to employ disabled individuals by working with our local ARC's (Advocacy Resource Center) to help us pack our subscription boxes!
Another mission we are passionate about at Darn Good Yarn is recycling! Our one-of-a-kind Sari Skirts are made from 100% recycled fabrics! Each skirt is handmade by our co-ops in India out of recycled saris and fabric remnants that are turned into the beautifully finished skirts you love! With your help we have saved over 1.5 million pounds of fabric from entering landfills!
On top of our skirts, our recycled silk yarns are made from 100% reclaimed materials. Our co-ops take all of the discarded fabrics and silk rom silk production and clothing factories to turn into yarns. Our artisans spin or hand sew these waste materials together, creating the beautiful unique yarns that DGY brings to you! We want to make incredible yarns and save the planet while we do
So these facts are all well and good but at Darn Good Yarn we wanted to be more than just statistics. We decided to go out in our local community and do some real good! We joined forces with some awesome organizations and fellow do-gooders and have run some awesome campaigns!!!
1. First up is our May Do Good campaign. For the entire month of May, 20% from the purchases of our DGY kits went to support frontline workers. We will be sharing some exciting details about this very soon!
2. Next we donated kits to Albany Medical Center! Thanks to our Darn Good Yarn community, this spring we donated one weaving kit for each one purchased to children who were long-term patients at Albany Medical Center. We were able to donate 50 kits!
3. Another project we are really proud of is our Pride Scholarship! June is Pride Month and Darn Good Yarn is and always has been a safe place for our inclusive and diverse community to express themselves creatively. We knew that we wanted to celebrate our LGBTQIA+ fiber artists and so we asked for submissions to be considered for one of three $1000 “scholarships” to the DGY store. Learn more about our winners here!
4. Our Do Darn Good Skirt. The Do Darn Good Skirt came to be when Nicole was asked to get involved with a local organization that raised funds and awareness for those impacted by cancer. The idea stuck and now we regularly donate one of our beautiful Sari Silk Wrap skirts when one is purchased. Currently we are giving one skirt to a survivor of domestic violence, but we are always looking for causes to give back to!
5. For our artisan spotlight we heard trouble had fell on one of our artisans, Shahab. We hosted a sale on our website and all the proceeds went to helping him complete his home for his family!
6. Do Good 20/20 campaign. In 2020 our world changed when Coronavirus emerged. In May we gave back to frontline workers. We donated 20% of all kit sales to underserved communities who needed PPE during COVID. This August we are giving back to educators, with 20% off of our project kits, and a 20% give back to these unsung heroes. Essential workers—from grocery store employees, to veterinary personnel, to restaurant delivery people—were asked to do their jobs while a pandemic raged around us. Our DGY community rose up each and every time we asked for support, and supported one another. We gave back, we kept each other connected, and, most importantly, we never lost hope.
7. During COVID we realized we had the resources to import PPE. We took this opportunity to help underprivileged communities and donate the PPE they so desperately needed. Check out CBS 6 Albanys coverage of the story!