St. Herman Harbor, Kodiak Island, Alaska

“Every town in America should have a KINDNESS Project.” ~ Participating Family

About KINDNESS

  Heather Preece

Our Mission & Approach

The Kodiak KINDNESS Project exists to help families nourish their babies’ bodies and souls. Whether it is your first or fourth child, and no matter how you choose to feed them, KINDNESS provides compassionate, free, and evidence-based help with all aspects of infant feeding…tailored specifically to your child and your situation, whenever you need it.

We strive to develop a trusting relationship with the families we serve, and go beyond providing a health care service. KINDNESS is privileged to join families on their journeys through the first year of their babies’ lives; we become part of your team…and we aim to be the best infant feeding coaches you can find on Kodiak! You are raising the next generation in our village, and we all have a vested interest in helping your children get the best start possible! 

  Sarah Harkins

KINDNESS is a loose acronym for “Kodiak Infant Nutrition and Development Support and Survey”. When we were thinking about what to call ourselves and were playing around with those words – KINDNESS popped out – and we went with it. At first, we thought it might be a little hokie-sounding, but “Kodiak KINDNESS” has a nice ring to it, and people seemed to like it. As the program grew, we realized the word KINDNESS itself embodies the entire approach of our program.
A special story about our logo: Janelle Peterson, a Kodiak – based graphic designer, created our logo. She was inspired by a photo of our very first Peer Counselor, Sarah, holding her baby Lily’s newborn hand nested in her own hand. We think it captures the essence of our mission perfectly. Think of KINDNESS as a “helping hand” for all parents…mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunties, foster families, friends, teachers, neighbors… we are raising the next generation together!

Our Funding

KINDNESS services are free of charge to all participants; there are no criteria to qualify (other than having a baby!). We never intend to charge any family for our services, in accordance with the unique spirit of KINDNESS and staying true to our belief that access to quality health care, information, and support is a fundamental human right.

KINDNESS is funded in part by our community partners, and we regularly apply for grant funding as opportunities arise. Annual community events raise both funds and awareness of our mission. Anyone (like you!) can make individual donations through this website. All donors receive tax-deductible receipts for their donations.

Check out our full GuideStar profile for complete organization details, including IRS filings, financial reports, board members, employees, strategic goals, program objectives, and outcome metrics.

Learn More about our Program Costs