14-year-old Mateo bakes and sells cookies with his sister to support families in need in Cali, Colombia. The siblings created Humankindcookies.org and have raised over $20,000 since June 2020. Blessed with the support of many in our US and Colombia communities, the cookies have inspired other initiatives – from art contests and corporate partnerships to training baking partners. Humankind Cookies joined forces with others in the community to donate ~$4,000 to local, small businesses also impacted by the pandemic.
“Generosity is offering something you value to others without expecting anything in return.”
Every month, I bake cookies with my sister and donate 100% of the sales and donations to fund food for families in need. Our initiative has been shared by many, and we receive our cookie orders through Instagram and our website. My sister is a senior now, so for the last four months, I have baked mostly on my own. The support has been so motivating, that we are always trying to move more people to help families struggling in Colombia. We also campaigned and joined forces with our friends to raise $4,000 for small businesses in our hometown (Pleasanton). I also spend time figuring out ways to reduce our costs, which have increased with the high volume of cookies, and improve my productivity. In the last months, private companies in Colombia have offered to support our campaigns and my sister and I participate in different virtual meetings to coordinate our efforts. I want to continue to expand the impact of humankind cookies, as others feel compelled to join us to support common goals.
