1 Doll = 10 Meals

why we give

We started cuddle+kind after watching a heartbreaking documentary about childhood hunger. As parents of three young children, we were devastated to learn the facts below.

66 million

primary school-aged
children attend classes
hungry every day.

and

45%

of deaths in children under five
are caused by poor nutrition
- 3.1 million children each year.

We were inspired to help change this. The United Nations World Food Program considers hunger "one of the most solvable problems that face the world today." We believe that by giving children the nutrition they need to thrive and reach their potential, we will be making a positive impact on the world for generations to come.

Giving meals helps children

fight disease

develop cognitively

receive an education

perform better in school

earn more as an adult

break the cycle of poverty

reach their full potential

Helping children reach their potential resonates with us as parents. It motivated us to start a social business that gives meals to children in need and it inspires us every day.

Our dream for cuddle+kind is to make a tangible, positive impact on childhood hunger.

It was also a dream of ours to one day meet the children our dolls help feed and share the experience with our supporters whose purchases make it all possible. In August 2018, we had the opportunity to travel over 7,000 miles to Kenya to do just that.

We met children in several remote communities in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya where our dolls provide school meals to over 6,750 children in nine schools. The children we met were intelligent, full of potential, and they welcomed us with open arms and hearts.

Your purchase does a world of good.

The school meals we provide through our giving partner, WE Charity, play a critical role in these communities because they are sometimes the only meal a child will eat on a given day. Many of the students we met walk an hour each way to school and are highly committed to getting an education and improving their lives. We were blown away by the curiosity, determination and bright minds of the children we met. It was an incredibly inspiring experience.

We saw, first-hand, the very real and meaningful impact our supporters’ purchases are making. Together, we are improving the lives and futures of thousands of children, their families and communities. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Growing food to help children grow.

cuddle+kind also supports an incredible School Gardens program that supplies fresh fruits and vegetables for all the school meals our dolls provide in Kenya. The Oleleshwa farm, created by our giving partner WE Charity, is a 60-acre organic farm that produces over 25 different varieties of organic produce. We were so impressed with the caliber of the farm and the quality of the food it produces.

never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world,

indeed, it us the only thing that ever has.

– Margaret Mead

how we give

We've established partnerships with several highly respected humanitarian agencies to distribute the meals we provide. Their programs and on-the-ground knowledge ensures that every purchase you make will directly benefit children in need.

World Food Program USA School Meals Program

The United Nations Food Program (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger world wide, reaching more than 76 million people in 81 countries with food assistance. WFP provides meals to 17.4 million children each year. We support WFP USA's schools meal program because it can be life-changing to the world's poorest children, not only helping to improve their nutrition but improving their ability to learn.

Learn more at
WFPusa.org

Children's Hunger Fund

Children's Hunger Fund (CHF) provides nourishing food for hungry children across America and around the world. Since 1991, CHF has delivered food and, ultimately hope, to children and families in need, delivering "Food Paks", school meals and other aid to suffering children and families. Through our partnership, we are providing vital nutrition and hope to children in need and we're especially proud to be supplying school meals to children in Peru where our dolls are made.

Learn more at
childrenshungerfund.org

Orphans in Haiti receiving a special package from cuddle+kind.

Orphanages in Haiti

Through the CHF Mercy Network, cuddle+kind provides nourishing food to all the children, 150 in total, at three Haiti orphanages:

Shekina Orphanage in Port au Prince
Deimas 31 Orphanage in Port au Prince
Cap Haitian Orphanage in Cap Haitian

Breakfast Club of Canada

Breakfast Club of Canada works to empower every child to realize their full potential by providing a healthy morning meal before classes start. One child out of five in Canada is at risk of starting the school day on an empty stomach due to lack of access to nutritious food. With our partnership, we are nurturing children's health, helping them realize their potential and giving an equal chance of success to all kids.

Learn more at
breakfastclubcanada.org

WE Charity School Nutrition Program

WE Charity is an international organization with multiple holistic programs designed to help children. We've partnered with them to provide meals through WE's School Nutrition Program in Kenya. Our partnership provides meals to over 6,750 children in nine schools and promotes food security with school gardens and school meals, encouraging enrollment, as well as giving children the energy and health to learn.

Learn more at
we.org

there can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul

than the way in which it treats its children.

– Nelson Mandela

what we give

For every doll purchased, 10 meals are provided to children in need around the world through our respected giving partners. Your purchase gives children an opportunity to reach their potential and provides hope for a better future.

School meals

We provide school meals through the programs of several of our giving partners because they are proven to have a positive impact in a multitude of ways. Feeding children nutritious meals in school gives them the energy to learn and is considered one of the most effective ways of empowering children to break out of the cycle of poverty they were born into.

School meals give impoverished families an incentive to send children to school. This is especially true for girls, providing them with an education opportunity they would potentially not have.

When children are given meals in school, attendance increases, more girls receive an education and school performance greatly improves. For many children, a school lunch is the only meal they receive all day.

Empowering girls is the key to healthier communities. Girls with more education have fewer children, have them later in life and are better prepared to care for and educate them. Studies have shown that a woman's education contributed to 43% of the reduction in child malnutrition over time.

School gardens + meals

In Kenya, we provide nutritious school meals centered on the the traditional staples of maize and beans, supplemented by fresh fruits and vegetables from school gardens. Over 6,750 children in nine schools are taught skills that promote food security through school garden programs. The program is an incentive for school attendance, increasing the chances for these children to lead a self-reliant life.

Breakfast

In Canada, we provide nutritious morning meals before school starts. Children who receive this healthy, balanced breakfast have shown marked improvements in behavior, concentration, academic performance, social skills, and self-confidence.

Food Paks

In the US, Haiti and Peru, we provide boxes of nutritious, non-perishable staple foods like rice, pasta, beans, canned vegetables and meat to offer relief for families and children who suffer from food insecurity. This provides vital nutrition and hope for children in need.

the heart that gives, gathers

– Tao To Ching

where we give

The meals our dolls provide are donated in 66 countries around the world through our valued partnerships with several humanitarian agencies. To the end of December 2018, we’ve donated 7,461,144 meals to children in need.

Canada
Over one million Canadian children live in food insecure households. One in five are at risk of starting the school day on an empty stomach. Our dolls help provide children with a nutritious breakfast, providing energy to learn.

USA
In the US, over 16 million children live in food insecure households. Your purchases help provide meals through local food banks and nutritious Food Paks to families with children who are facing hunger regularly or for the first time.

Peru
60 children in Abacnay now receive school meals five days a week while some families in need also receive nutritious Food Paks. It's so meaningful to us to give back in the country where our dolls are handmade.

Haiti
In Haiti, cuddle+kind provides all the meals needed to 150 children in three different orphanages: The Shekina and Delmas 31 Orphanages in Port au Prince, and Cap Haitian Orphanage in Cap Haitian.

Worldwide
In 66 countries across the world, your purchases help feed children nutritious lunches in school. School meals have proven to increase attendance, improve performance and allow more girls to receive an education in poverty stricken areas.

be the change

you want to see in the world.

– mahatma gandhi

our giving impact

Every year, we take stock of all that we accomplished the previous year and reflect on the values that drive us. 2018 was the best year of giving in our little company's history and all the details are in the pages of our 2018 Giving Book. We know many of you like to share it when you give our dolls as gifts, so your recipient can learn about the good their gift is doing. We hope you enjoy our new 2018 edition; it's filled with adorable pictures, important info and some amazing feedback from our customers.

open giving book