Danny Wang
Jessica McCoy
David Cohen
St. John's University
Charles Wankel
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Cuddle + Kind is a small family doll business that donates meals to children in need for every doll/print ordered. They created the company to fight childhood hunger. They sell handmade dolls that are produced ethnically in Peru.
Cuddle + Kind is a small business founded in 2015. For each doll ordered, they provide ten meals to children in need. For every baby animal and Inspirational print ordered, they donate five meals to children in need through our Giving Partners, including World Food Program USA, Children’s Hunger Fund, and Breakfast Club of Canada. Their mission is to make beautiful, hand-knit dolls that provide meals to needy children, giving them the nutrition they need to grow, learn, and prosper. With their giving business model of 1 doll = 10 meals, they can provide sustainably without relying on fundraising.
"We believe that by giving children the nutrition they need to thrive and reach their potential, we will positively impact the world for generations to come." Cheese, Customer Team Lead
Jen and Derek started Cuddle + Kind because they have a background in health, and they recognize the crucial role nutrition plays in a child's development. As parents, they believe all children should have enough food to eat and the opportunity to thrive. So, when they saw a documentary on the devastating impact of childhood hunger on millions of children worldwide, it inspired them to help. On that day, they decided to start a company that aims to help improve children's lives and make a difference.
Since 2015, Cuddle + Kind has provided over 31,000,000 meals to needy children. Their goal is to provide 1 million every year! They believe in the power of social businesses to improve the world and are honored to be making a positive impact on the lives of children and the artisans they work with.
They support an incredible program that supplies fruits and vegetables for school meals. The 60-acre organic farm grows over 25 varieties of organic produce centered on the traditional staples of maize and beans, supplemented by fresh fruits and vegetables. As part of this program, over 6,750 children in nine schools are taught skills promoting food security.
With the addition of their Plumpy’Nut donations, they hope to expand their impact by addressing severe acute malnutrition in children. It has been proven to work wonders in little ones who require the most critical care early in life.
Because of these dolls, they are also proud that they have yet to choose to have them mass-produced, which would make them less expensive but would not provide a livelihood to the artisan knitters they respect so much. They also offer little dolls starting at $59 that provide ten meals (the same number of meals as a regular-sized doll) and environmentally conscious, 10" x 10" inspirational prints for $20, each providing five meals.
They believe that for families and communities to thrive, they need access to sustainable income. The skill set of their artisans is precious and in high demand. They recognize their incredible talent with compensation exceeding Nepal's living wage. They strongly believe in supporting the cost of living and enabling their artisans to build their savings and plan for the future.
Many of their artisans are also paid a premium wage reflective of their specialized skill sets. Their Artisan Partners interview each artisan annually to ensure their salary meets and exceeds their needs - allowing them to invest and meet their family's financial obligations. In addition to paying a fair wage, they provide scholarships for the children of employees, along with a variety of other benefits such as lunch, trauma counseling, life-skills training, healthcare, and employer-matched savings.
They provide boxes of nutritious, non-perishable staple foods like rice, pasta, beans, canned vegetables, and meat to relieve families and children affected by food insecurity. This provides vital nutrition and hope for children in need. They take pride in the natural, premium yarn they use and all the unique details of their dolls that make them heirloom quality and safe. Their dolls and baby animals are ethically produced and hand-knit by artisans in Peru and Nepal.
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Chereese Daley, Customer Team Lead
Cuddle + Kind is a small family business with a mission to improve the lives of children. Their dolls and baby animals are ethically produced and hand-knit by artisans in Peru and Nepal. For each doll ordered, they provide ten meals to children in need. For every baby animal and Inspirational print ordered, they donate five meals to needy children through their Giving Partners, including World Food Program USA, Children’s Hunger Fund, and Breakfast Club of Canada.