Our Founding Story

Redesigning Community Service Experiences
for Children

“In the summer of 2016, when my daughters were 5 and 2, I committed to volunteering regularly with them. I was excited for community service to be a meaningful, consistent part of our lives — but I quickly discovered the barriers were immense.

Opportunities for engaging young children in service were scarce. We joined a monthly food packing event at a local crisis center, but even those visits, as a working parent, felt like a stretch and sometimes stressful. It often felt like our family service projects created more work than relief for the busy center, which focused on large-scale food distributions. And although we wanted to help those facing hunger, my children and I left each food packing event without truly feeling or connecting to the human experience behind the need.

As someone who had spent my career designing human-centered product experiences, I realized these barriers weren’t just logistical — that we were missing a powerful educational opportunity.  

Age-appropriate community service experiences for children could equip kids during their most formative years with the tools and confidence to know that they matter, and they can meaningfully contribute to their communities, even at a young age. 

Further, if designed with intention, these learning experiences could help children authentically connect to universal human struggles — fostering a deeper awareness of our common humanity.

More importantly, by seamlessly weaving in the essential skill of caring for yourself as you care for others, we could bolster a child’s intrinsic capacity to navigate their own struggles while uplifting others. By practicing these skills in small, consistent doses — not as a one-and-done, but repeatedly — children could build their compassion muscle over time, supporting both their own well-being and those of others.

I knew creating this new way of doing community service for children would be the biggest design challenge of my life, but with mama-bear energy fueling my fire, I knew we could do better for our children.

Thus began the Mindful Littles journey.”

– Tanuka Gordon, Founder of Mindful Littles

"Mindful Littles is a gem of an organization. It’s special because it’s not just about doing charity work, it’s how you do it.… Mindful Littles creates a joyful and grounded space with games, music and creativity. They remind us that our happiness and presence can profoundly affect those who are food or housing insecure."
— Parent Participant, Food Insecurity
“Although I taught many skills of emotional awareness and regulation it wasn’t until I worked with Mindful Littles that I transitioned from teaching individual lessons to starting habits. This shift has completely transformed my classroom. Many of my students have a hard time regulating themselves, which caused a lot of disruption in the classroom. I have seen a clear difference now that we have instilled this habit in their ability to focus on instruction, each other, and their work more deeply.”
— 4th Grade Teacher
“We enjoyed how interactive and learning-focused the event was — such a great way to raise thoughtful and mindful, giving, children!”
— Parent participant, Mindful Service Learning event
"It was very special that we could connect as a family by doing something beneficial and kind for others. At the end [of the event] our kids were relaxed and happy, and as a family we felt heart-warmed and grateful. That is the power of practicing kindness for others.”
— Bay Area parent participant, Mindful Service Learning
"This organization has helped me make an impact in a really unique way while building my own mindfulness skills. Mental health is extremely important and Mindful Littles is working to remove the stigma and providing people with real, tangible support…from creating peace kits to role-modeling mindfulness practices, we felt connected more than ever!"
— Michael Stapelberg, District Manager, Starbucks
"I would 100% recommend this program to any school or district as a way to help students learn and utilize social/emotional life long skills and strategies to become more engaged and better learners."
— Michelle John, Superintendent, Paradise Unified
"I learned that in life you have ups and you have downs. I learned something...that is not easy to learn. I learned how much one person can change a whole community."
— 5th grade participant, Mindful Service Learning
"The event had quite an impact on my 7-year-old son, who, after assembling hygiene kits at your Mindful Littles event, decided to raise money for the kids in Haiti on his own. I think what you are doing through the Mindful Littles program is wonderful, and it's obviously having an impact on children near and far! I look forward to attending another one soon!"
— Bay Area parent participant, Mindful Service Learning event