This healthy snack bar company founded by Kristen Bell and a group of actors has donated over 10 million food packets to malnourished kids

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• This Bar Saves Lives was founded by a group of actors who wanted to fight the preventable but unfortunately common problem of malnutrition around the world.
• It donates a nutrient-dense food packet to NGO partners for every one of its non-GMO, gluten-free, and kosher bars sold.
• Sales of these healthy and delicious bars have led to more than 10 million nutrition packets donated to children in need.

In the middle of a busy day, finding a granola bar that your past-self so wisely packed in your desk or bag feels like you've just unearthed gold in California. But there's one granola company that doesn't just want to save you from hunger at work or on the go - it's on a larger mission to save lives.

This Bar Saves Lives, founded by actors Kristen Bell, Ryan Devlin, Todd Grinnell, and Ravi Patel, was founded in 2013 to help fight the preventable condition of malnutrition. For every bar sold, it donates food aid in the form of nutrition packets to children in Haiti, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia, a few areas most afflicted by malnutrition.

Giving back has become integral to the core models of many successful companies today, from socks and glasses to mattresses. Rather than take the backseat, social cause acts as a driver - and a brand differentiator - for these businesses.

The one-for-one give-back approach is typically designed to better suit the recipient's needs. The product you buy won't be the exact one they receive; for example, the socks that Bombas donates to homeless shelters are specifically made with anti-microbial treatments, reinforced seams, and darker colors.

Similarly, This Bar Saves Lives doesn't donate the same granola bar you're buying and eating. Instead, it gives one packet of Plumpy'nut, a ready-to-eat, nutrient-dense peanut paste made for children six months and older with severe acute malnutrition, to NGO partners like Action Against Hunger and Second Mile Haiti. Since its launch, the company has donated more than 10 million packets.

The healthy bars are non-GMO, gluten-free, and kosher, containing a mix of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, crisp rice, and toasted oats. They come in delicious flavors like Wild Blueberry and Pistachio, Madagascar Vanilla Almond and Honey, and Dark Chocolate and Coconut. You can also get variety packs for a sample of the different flavors and to keep your pantry, office desk, and backpack well-stocked.

All of the bars are less than 200 calories, but will satiate your hunger until your next meal, making it perfect for traveling and afternoon snack time (for both you and your kids). The next time you feel the urge to eat a candy bar, you can reach for the healthier snack alternative of a granola bar.

Though there are dozens of different healthy granola bar options to choose from, This Bar Saves Lives is the clear outlier by incorporating a social mission into its business.

As you more carefully consider where you're putting your money for things like clothing and sheets, food is another area to reexamine your shopping habits. A granola bar can seem like a no-brainer snack choice, but buying this one has long-lasting, far-reaching effects for people in need around the world.

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