PLATINUM2023

The Kind Mouse Productions, Inc.

Always Be A Kind Mouse

aka Kind Mouse   |   St. Petersburg, FL   |  www.thekindmouse.org

Mission

To assist families in transition and their chronically hungry children while developing the next generation of volunteers to carry on the mission of The Kind Mouse. No hardworking individual and their family should ever go hungry.

Notes from the nonprofit

Since COVID we have had to think outside of the box. We have partnered with the St. Pete Police Department, The Pinellas County Sheriff's Deptment, Meals On Wheels 4 Kids and our partnering agencies to be certain hungry children at home are getting fed. We are proud to say, that our programs are flourishing and many more children are being fed now.

Ruling year info

2012

Founder and CEO

Gina Wilkins

Main address

1801 16th St. N. Suite B

St. Petersburg, FL 33704 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

45-2455492

NTEE code info

Emergency Assistance (Food, Clothing, Cash) (P60)

Youth Development Programs (O50)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Chronic child hunger and food insecurity is a clear and present danger in Pinellas County, Florida. It is not always visible, but it exists - and it is heartbreaking. There are 36,000food insecure students in Pinellas County, Florida alone - 7000 of them are chronically hungry. Food is the fuel necessary to get all of us - especially children - through a normal day. While many children receive free and reduced-price breakfasts and lunches at school, they do not always have reliable access to food on the weekends and evenings. A lack of food and chronic hunger affects memory and concentration and can prevent students from carrying out their daily activities and making the most of their education. The hungry children in our community need food and they need food today. The Kind Mouse fills this critical gap in food availability for children who may otherwise have little or no access to food outside of school hours.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

MOUSE NIBBLES WEEKEND PACK SACKS

The Mouse Nibbles program exists to satisfy the hunger needs of food insecure children so they can concentrate on being successful in school. The uniqueness of the program is that it is Kids Feeding Kids. Each year, the Pinellas County Schools social services team identifies the "hungriest of the hungry" in their schools and informs The Kind Mouse of the count. Our volunteers pack individual Mouse Nibbles sacks a week, each containing 10-12 non-perishable food items, and deliver them to the schools where they are distributed to the intended recipients. Distribution is handled by school employees to ensure that the dignity and identity of the student(s) is protected. The Mouse Nibbles program also provides school supplies on a semi-annual basis.

We have been told by school social workers that students have little hope a decent meal will be available to them outside of school and because of this; students always look forward to receiving a Mouse Nibbles food sack to carry them through the weekend.

As mentioned Kids Feed Kids is a year long outreach program for children ages 5 - 18 where they learn the importance of community and giving back. These children are taught how to run the non profit, hold board meetings, run food drives, speak in public, produce all Kind Mouse awareness videos and perform at our events. These children are the next generation of leaders.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

We are a provider of emergency food to a food distribution center within the Pinellas County school system. We provide an immediate donation of nine meals for each hungry child served. This ensures that a hungry child today receives food today.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

The Families in Transition program helps those who have experienced job loss restore their dignity and reestablish their lives. Career-minded individuals struggling to feed their families because they are newly unemployed, or because their business has been unfavorably impacted by unforeseen circumstances, may be eligible to receive short-term assistance from The Kind Mouse. Upon providing proof of employment loss or business downturn, qualifying applicants are given access to food, household items, and pet provisions for a 90-day period. This program is administered in a confidential manner to protect the dignity and privacy of the applicant and their family members.

Population(s) Served
Families

Mice In Training is targeted at 5-12 year olds. The children learn about the mission of The Kind Mouse, volunteerism, and the importance of eradicating hunger. The children shadow organization leaders and adult volunteers so they can see The Kind Mouse in action. The children work as volunteers at The Kind Mouse events. They budget, purchase and pack food for the Mouse Nibbles program; run food drives; and participate in fund-raising activities. The children also have an opportunity to develop their public speaking skills by speaking at meetings and events. When a child reaches the age of 13, and with sufficient volunteer experience under their belt, they are eligible to graduate and become a Mice In Training Intern.

Mouse Interns is targeted at 13-18 year olds. These young adults further their knowledge of nonprofit administration by interacting and collaborating with other non-profit agencies in the community including Angels Against Abuse, Ready For Life, Hannah’s Homeless, Hands Across The Bay, and Volunteers of America. They also work with adult volunteers from corporate entities such as Wells Fargo, Franklin Templeton, United Healthcare and Allstate to further the mission of The Kind Mouse.

The Kind Mouse continues to advocate for Pinellas County Schools to adopt the Mice In Training program as an extracurricular activity in each of their schools. The Kind Mouse is willing to teach the school teams how to raise funds and how to purchase and pack food. We believe that if each school implemented the Mice In Training program, it would benefit the students and further our mission of eradicating hunger in our local communities.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Mouse Vision (MV) introduces teens, during their most crucial adolescent years, to the art of video production.

Working under the guidance of media professionals and mentors, they learn the technical and creative aspects of video
production. It’s a hands-on approach where the kids learn to develop story ideas, write scripts, shoot and edit footage, and create a finished product.

The kids rotate through a variety of jobs including producer, writer, director, on-camera talent, videographer and editor, makeup artist, and other jobs. They are introduced to the basics in media literacy, video production and digital
content development. They learn in a fun and creative way and develop leadership, decision-making and critical thinking skills as a part of the journey.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

Where we work

Awards

Mayor's Proclamation of Kind Mouse Day May 10 2018

City of St Petersburg Mayor's Office

Mayor's Proclamation of Kind Mouse Day May 10 2019

City of St Petersburg Mayor's Office

Mayor's Proclamation of Kind Mouse Day May 10 2020

City of St Petersburg Mayor's Office

Affiliations & memberships

Lighning Community Hero 2018

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of clients served

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Related Program

EMERGENCY FOOD FOR SCHOOL AGE STUDENTS

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

This represents the number of persons served. A total of 824,000 Tummies filled

Number of meals served

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

This represents the number of meals served by all programs including Mouse Nibbles Weekend Pack Sacks, Emergency Food, 90-day Families in Transition and bulk food donations to partner agencies.

Number of youth who demonstrate leadership skills (e.g., organizing others, taking initiative, team-building)

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Related Program

MICE IN TRAINING and MICE INTERNS PROGRAMS

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Our Mice In Training (ages 5-12) and Mice Interns (ages 13-18) form their own boards and work as volunteers. They budget for, purchase and pack food for the Mouse Nibbles program and run food drives.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

GOAL = Eradicate child hunger in our community.
OBJECTIVES:
1. Make food readily available to chronically hungry children and their financially-stressed families.
2. Meet students' immediate hunger needs so they can concentrate better in school.
3. Remove the worry from both child and parent about how and when they will get their next meal.
4. Add infants and baby formula to our Mouse Nibbles Program.
5. Add disabled veterans to program.

Strategy 1: Find new and different sources of funding.

Strategy 2: Capitalize on our Mice In Training and Mice Intern programs. To raise awareness of the Kind Mouse programs and to foster the spirit of giving among today's more fortunate young people, we have developed two Kind Mouse outreach clubs. Our Mice In Training (ages 5-12) and Mice Interns (ages 13-18) join us as volunteers on a scheduled basis. They form their own boards, learn the business of nonprofits, gain experience in public speaking at schools and events, and organize their own food drives and fund raising events. It is our goal that these future leaders will become "The Voice of the Children," and provide peer-to-peer hope of a brighter future to the children we serve.

Strategy 3: Help fill in the gaps where others are not serving. Avoid duplication.

We have a diverse Board of Directors that bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to help set future direction for The Kind Mouse.

We are utilizing interns and grant writers to research alternative funding sources.

We are capitalizing on a differentiator to set us apart from other local nonprofits and appeal to a broader range of donors. We are proud of our youth outreach clubs: Mice In Training and Mice Intern programs. Our youth can influence hearts and minds that otherwise may be closed.

Accomplishments:

(1) Increased demand for services. In 2020, The Kind Mouse was challenged as never before as schools abruptly closed, leaving students without the two daily meals provided at school. At the same time, Pinellas County's hospitality-driven economy was decimated as restaurants, bars and hotels closed their doors. It was a perfect storm in the hunger relief community. Year over year, The Kind Mouse increased food distribution by 38%, expanding our reach for our Mouse Nibbles program.

(2) Brand Recognition. The Kind Mouse name and brand has greater recognition.
Local TV stations covered the work of our Senior volunteers and we were recognized with a local Good Burger Award, recognizing our good work in the community.

Works in Progress:

(1) Expansion of Funding Sources. Slowly but surely, we are identifying alternative funding sources and taking steps to share our story with them.

(2) Hiring Staff. We received local funding to add staff to increase fundraising efforts and to manage our volunteer program. At the same time, the new hires represent greater diversity within the organization.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

The Kind Mouse Productions, Inc.
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

The Kind Mouse Productions, Inc.

Board of directors
as of 06/20/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Stacy Wilters

PuzzleHR

Term: 2022 - 2025

Stan Wilkins

Talking Dog Video, Inc.

Lacy Scherer

The Hartford

Samantha Tallyn

Janssen & Igar CPA's

Anthony McCoy

St Pete Police Dept

James Letzelter

GenMetrix Inc

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 5/9/2022

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 07/08/2020

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.