Two Young Entrepreneurs Are Making Parenthood More Accessible: The Sibling Duo Behind The Dandy Project
By Staff Reporter |
When 26-year-old Erzsi Moffatt first sought out a volunteer opportunity at Hope Pregnancy Resource Center in Flagstaff, Arizona, she had no idea it would lead to something much bigger. What started as a role helping parents access essential family care quickly evolved into a larger mission—one that she and her 24-year-old brother, Jedidiah Lyons, would take statewide. Recognizing the overwhelming need for baby essentials, they founded The Dandy Project, a nonprofit dedicated to making parenthood more accessible by providing car seats, strollers, diapers, and other necessities to families in need.
How It All Started
While seeking to volunteer at Hope Pregnancy Resource Center in Flagstaff, Arizona, Erzsi Moffatt found herself in a position to be able to work as their Boutique Manager. Since 1977, the center has provided free and confidential services, including pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STI testing, and options counseling. It also offers parenting classes, maternity and baby supplies, and resources to help parents navigate unplanned pregnancies with confidence and support.
In this role, she assisted clients by providing essential supplies such as formula, diapers, baby equipment, and more. As she became more involved, she invited her brother, Jedidiah Lyons, to volunteer at the center, where he began teaching workshops on life skills, like budgeting and resume building.
During their time there, Erzsi and Jedidiah witnessed firsthand the meaningful impact of these services, seeing how the center’s support helps struggling parents and their children thrive.
Erzsi’s husband, Stephan, a golf professional in the community, received a career opportunity that required their family to relocate to Phoenix. While excited for her husband’s growth, Erzsi couldn’t help but feel sad to close her chapter at Hope Pregnancy Resource Center.
After sharing the news with her brother, Jed, they discussed wanting to leave a lasting contribution before departing and were reminded of the center’s long waitlist for car seats. Recognizing an opportunity to help, Jed—an entrepreneur with a background in assisting others in starting businesses—suggested they tackle the issue using surplus overstock sales, a process retailers use to cut costs on online returns and excess inventory.
Putting their heads together, they identified a vendor that allowed them to source car seats and other baby essentials at a fraction of their retail value, helping to significantly reduce the waitlist and support families in need.
Knowing that many other Pregnancy Resource Centers like Hope existed across the state, Erzsi and Jed decided to take their concept and start their own non-profit. In September 2023, they founded The Dandy Charitable Foundation, also known as The Dandy Project—a 501(c)(3) public charity with a mission to “protect, empower, and support those who do the same for the next generation.”
We had the opportunity to sit down with the brother-sister duo to learn more about their journey and the impact they hope to make.
Q: What made you decide to take on this endeavor?
Erzsi: We realized that we already had the resources to start helping families right away and trusted that we’d figure out the rest as we went. Jed and I have always embraced challenges and followed our own path, so we saw this as an opportunity to put that mindset to good use. At the very least, we knew we could make somewhat of a difference for families in need so that was reason enough to start.
Q: What inspired the mission statement for The Dandy Project, and how did you shape it?
Erzsi: Well, Jed and I spent a lot of time discussing what we wanted The Dandy Project to achieve, and we kept coming back to the growth we witnessed in clients at Hope as they navigated their journeys to parenthood. Seeing them rise to the challenge and transform through the experience is what ultimately inspired us to take on this endeavor.
As we reflected on the most impactful aspects of that growth, we realized it all came down to the ability to protect, empower, and support their own family—especially in unexpected circumstances. That understanding became the foundation of our mission.
Q: Your mission statement encompasses a broad range of support. Can you share specific ways The Dandy Project fulfills this mission in practice?
Jed: Hope Pregnancy Resource Center operates in the non-urban community of Flagstaff, Arizona. While it’s not exactly rural, it still faces unique challenges that a metropolitan center wouldn’t. We had a solid understanding of the operational needs at Hope, but knowing that many other centers existed across the state, we wanted to leave room to develop additional programs as we built relationships and identified broader needs.
I personally believe we fulfill our mission best by alleviating the financial burden that comes with having a baby. Through our program, we’re able to provide a car seat, stroller, crib, and six months’ worth of diapers and wipes to a client—all at no cost to them. What would typically cost around $1,800, we’re able to source for just $100 per client, making a significant impact on struggling families.
Q: Who does The Dandy Project primarily serve, and what does a typical client look like?
Jed: We’re fortunate that our programs are very cost-effective, which allows us to operate on a no-questions-asked basis for client intake. If someone applies for support, we provide whatever resources we have available—so ultimately, we serve anyone who is expecting or already has children.
When we partner with organizations, we focus primarily on rural communities, which means much of our outreach serves Arizona’s Native American populations. However, the clients who come to us directly come from all walks of life, and most are based in the Phoenix metro area.
Q: What is the process for clients to receive supplies from The Dandy Project?
Erzsi: Clients can apply for support directly through our website, DandyProject.org. Since we store the items in our garage and local unit, we personally drop them off to local clients ourselves.
However, distributing supplies to our community partners across the state is a bit more complex. In our first year, we were truly bootstrapping our distribution system—relying on friends, family, and our personal vehicles to transport supplies to the rural communities we serve.
Last year, we celebrated our first anniversary with a banquet, and thanks to fundraising from that event—along with additional support from a fundraiser hosted by Calvary Oro Valley Church in Tucson—we were able to purchase a used Ford E350 cargo van. This has made our distribution process significantly more cost-effective and efficient.
Q: After 18 months in operation, how would you measure the impact The Dandy Project has made so far?
Erzsi: We’re proud to share that in 2024 alone, we directly supported over 312 families and reached more than 1,000 additional families through our community partners. Seeing the tangible difference we’ve been able to make in such a short time has been incredibly exciting.
Q: What’s next for The Dandy Project?
Erzsi: Right now, we primarily operate in the northern part of the state, but we’re eager to expand further into southern Arizona, particularly the greater Tucson area. Looking ahead, I hope to become The Dandy Project’s first official employee and take our model even further, maybe reaching families even beyond Arizona.
Q: How can people get involved and support The Dandy Project?
Erzsi: Financial donations are always needed, and we are an Arizona Qualified Charitable Organization (QCO). This means that anyone filing for the 2024 tax year can take advantage of the QCO tax credit, reducing their tax liability dollar for dollar—up to $420 for individual filers or $840 for those filing jointly.
Our most immediate need is always volunteers. If you or someone you know frequently travels to communities like Flagstaff, Show Low, or Prescott, we would be incredibly grateful for your help in delivering supplies to our community partners. Your support—whether financial or hands-on—makes a real difference for families in need.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
