On learning the devastating facts that globally, 66 million children attend school hungry every day and over 3 million children under the age of 5 die of malnutrition every year, Jennifer Woodgate and her husband, Derek, made it their family’s mission to help feed children in need and make a tangible impact on global childhood hunger. 

In 2015 Jennifer and Derek launched social business, Cuddle & Kind to make a positive impact on the lives of children.

They spent over a year developing a collection of beautiful, hand-knitted artisan-made cotton dolls and for every doll sold, 10 meals are provided to children in need, in partnership with the World Food Programme and other humanitarian agencies.

Cuddle & Kind have provided over 32 million meals to children in 64 countries around the world.

Studies have shown that when children have adequate nutrition in the crucial early stages of life, their cognitive ability and health improves along with their chances of becoming self-reliant adults who can contribute to society.

The school meals provided through Cuddle & Kind’s giving partners play a critical role in underserved communities because they are sometimes the only meal a child will eat in a day. Childhood hunger and malnutrition disproportionally affect girls. School meal programs help increase the number of girls who are sent to school to get both a meal and an education.

Cuddle & Kind are committed to ethical production.  Each doll is handcrafted by talented women artisans in Peru and Nepal, who are empowered with a sustainable, fair-trade income that allows them to care for themselves and their families, bringing meaningful change to their lives. Cuddle & Kind supports over 1,000 women artisans.

 A tremendous amount of love goes into each Cuddle & Kind doll. Every step in the making process is carefully considered, from the unique, detailed designs to perfecting the colour selection and choosing the finest, natural cotton yarns. Every beautifully crafted Cuddle & Kind doll is knitted with such quality and care, they’re suitable to be heirlooms handed down from one lucky child to the next.