It’s not uncommon to hear someone complain of not sleeping well—though they most likely spent the night on a comfortable mattress, which could be anything from an expensive, down pillow-top model to a cheap box set from a warehouse store. In any case, though, these beds do offer a degree of comfort and safety. For some children, however, sleeping in a bed isn’t part of their daily life. Many children around the world are orphaned and abandoned, cold and without a bed. They are all too familiar with the misery of not sleeping well.
 

In 1980, a pastor from South Carolina went on a trip to Calcutta. Confronted with the realities of poverty, famine and disease, he returned home determined to contribute to orphanages in such communities. But the goal was to innovate traditional methods of giving, creating a tangible reminder of the need in order to make a tangible difference. The result? The Rice Bowl, a small, plastic container that works like a piggy bank, only it resembles a bowl full of rice, the standard meal for much of the world. Thirty years later, Rice Bowls is a respected nonprofit that has collected tens of millions of dollars via Rice Bowl donations to feed and provide for orphans around the world.