Nonprofit CannedWater4kids (cw4k) is celebrating 16 years of saving children from the often-deadly effects of drinking unsafe water. 

“It’s hard to believe that it is sixteen years already,” said Greg Stromberg, Founder& CEO of CW4K. 

“To our supporters, more children are alive today because of your kindness and support. Thank you for helping us give children the gift of safe water and the gift of life.,” added Stromberg. 

Stromberg commented that the inspiration for CannedWater4kids came from several places. The first of which was from his father.

“He used to tell me stories about my grandfather, a dentist during the great depression, and how he would fix the teeth of the poor without charging them. I thought this was admirable,” Stromberg said. 

Another influence was the late Paul Newman and how he used his Newman’s Own brand to make a difference in helping those in need. The final spark came from a 2007 CanMaker Summit in Chicago, IL. 

The keynote speaker was a packaging consultant to the United Nations. He asked the CEOs in attendance what they were doing to help people in developing countries—specifically concerning the lack of food and water, which was unfit to drink. 

“Everyone was silent. Something inside told me I needed to do something. I needed to make a difference,” said Stromberg. 

“I had been reading about the global water crisis and how children died every 21 seconds from complications due to drinking unsafe water. I thought if the children are our future, but they die before they get there – we have no future,” Stromberg added. It was at that moment that CannedWater4kids was born. 

In recent years, CW4K has completed sustainable water projects in Lusaka, Zambia, and in Guatemala. These projects provide clean, safe water to over 400,000 people in Lusaka and a village in Guatemala for over 20 years. “When funding and delivering water projects, sustainability is important to us,” said Stromberg. “We believe in the ‘teach them to fish’ model of relief,” he added. “That way, the deliverables have more value to the recipients and greater potential of living on.” 

In 2023, under the leadership of Uganda-born CW4K board member Dr. Moe Mukiibi, the nonprofit intends to help 5-10 villages on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda that don’t have clean water. At each location, the plan is to install a water purification device, a solar pump at the well, and a water kiosk to house the water purification system. The team will also provide training for water testing and maintenance. 

CW4K water has also been seen in popular movies and TV shows, such as The Emoji Movie, Spiderman, Smurfs, and the SpongeBob Movie, as well as on the Hallmark Channel, ABC, FOX, Netflix, Warner Bros., and other top-tier media outlets. Exciting new placements include product use in the popular iCarly and Lizzo episodes, expanding the nonprofit’s brand awareness. 

In addition to helping people in developing countries, CW4K has also helped pregnant moms in Milwaukee, Wisconsin who live in old houses with lead pipes. This aging lead pipe infrastructure can cause lead to leach into the water supply, which is especially dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn children. 

Funding for the nonprofit comes from cash donations, sponsorships, private donors, and selling their premium drinking water in aluminium bottles and cans. 

Ninety-five cents of every dollar collected goes to fund, support, and deliver clean drinking water programs worldwide. 

Available in 16oz aluminium bottles and 12oz aluminium cans, CW4K premium drinking water sales are growing. 

Segments include households, boardrooms, office meetings, schools, hospitality, and vending. To support the nonprofit’s growth, cW4K hopes to acquire additional corporate donors and sponsors to help support operational and administrative costs. 

To donate to CannedWater4kids, visit www.cannedwater4kids.org/donate-to-cannedwater4kids

To buy CW4K canned water, visit www.cannedwater4kids.org/buy-cw4k-water.