Coffee Kids - Grounds for Hope

Coffee & Compassion

As you sip your morning coffee or enjoy that afternoon espresso, do you ever think about where coffee comes from? Around the world, literally millions of people dedicate their lives to growing coffee. Unfortunately, the blessings of coffee don't always filter down to the people who grow it. Coffee farmers earn as little as a penny-a-pound for their harvest, and even during the years when crops do well and prices are high, the children of coffee growers go without much that we take for granted.

COFFEE KIDS has helped thousands of children, women, and men in coffee-producing regions in Mexico and Central America to improve the quality of their lives and build more sustainable communities.  Coffee Kids is an international nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Our staff works with local non-governmental community organizations in Latin America to create education, health-care, training, and microenterprise programs for coffee farmers and their families. Our projects respect the cultural integrity of our local partners, foster independence, and promote long-term self-sufficiency.

What is Coffee Kids’ mission?
To improve the quality of life for children and families who live in coffee-growing communities around the world.

Who founded Coffee Kids and when?
Coffee Kids was founded in 1988 by Bill Fishbein, the owner of Coffee Exchange, a specialty coffee roaster and retailer in Providence, RI. That year, Bill had traveled to Guatemala and saw first-hand the connection between coffee farming and poverty. He created Coffee Kids as a way for coffee businesses and coffee consumers to give something back to the families who grow coffee.

What is Coffee Kids’ annual budget?
$700,000

What percentage of donations to Coffee Kids goes to the programs?
Changes slightly every year, but on the average is 75%. For fiscal year 2004/2005:
82% (8% goes to administration and 11% to outreach)

How is Coffee Kids funded?

Following are the donations from 2004/2005:

• Donations from businesses (coffee shops, roasters, etc.): 82%
• Foundation grants: 1%
• Donations from individuals (coffee drinkers): 4%
• In-kind goods and services: 8%
• Coin Drop collections: 3%

Margay Coffee is proud to donate to Coffee Kids.

For more information, see their website at www.coffeekids.org.