When you wake up in the morning, do you reach for a glass of water on your bedside table? How about after a hard workout? Are you grabbing a bottle of water from the 32-pack in the fridge? It’s likely… and you may not even realize how fortunate you are in a world where approximately 2.2 billion individuals lack access to clean, safe drinking water.

CannedWater4Kids (CW4K) Founder and CEO Greg Stromberg reflected on this very issue at the end of a successful 51-year career in the packaging industry, one that enabled him to support his family and put his children through school.

“I was thinking about all those wonderful things and the abundance that I have when we look around the world and see what’s happening. I always felt that something was missing in what I was doing,” said Stromberg. “I discovered that there was a problem with water.”

The numbers are staggering. According to the United Nations, a child dies every eight seconds from drinking unsafe water, and every 21 seconds from a waterborne disease.

With a passion for changing water outcomes and a strong knowledge of the packaging industry, Stromberg launched CW4K in 2008. The Wisconsin-based nonprofit sells premium canned water, using 95% of the proceeds from each can or bottle to support, fund and deliver life-saving water initiatives around the globe. The exterior of the recyclable can functions as a marketing tool, highlighting CW4K’s mission and encouraging CW4K drinkers to scan a QR code to learn more.

In the beginning, Stromberg knew little about the world of nonprofit business. When Dr. Marissa Jablonski, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) professor and current CW4K board member, explained to him the important work of UWM’s Engineers Without Borders (EWB) program, Stromberg had no doubt that CW4K would have a significant impact.

CW4K funded EWB’s 2008 trip to the highlands of Guatemala, where the team built water infrastructure and taught proper water education to a village suffering from water scarcity. EWB also assigned a local water manager in the village to ensure that the infrastructure remained effective long-term.

Since that first project in Guatemala, CW4K continues to be a catalyst for meaningful change. The organization is responsible for the clean water access of over 950,000 children. CW4K has also supplied 3.5 million cans of water for disaster relief and raised the necessary funds to build 60 sustainable wells and water purification systems around the world. Even in the Milwaukee area, CW4K’s work is being felt. The organization ran an eight-month project, preventing pregnant mothers from ingesting lead-contaminated water.

CW4K has secured the support and partnership of packaging industry leaders, including Ball Corporation, Crown Holdings Inc., INX International Ink Co., Novelis and Roeslein & Associates. Stromberg also expressed his gratitude to board members Dr. Marissa Jablonski and Dr. Moe Mukiibi, whose expertise in water solutions has aided and educated thousands of individuals worldwide.

“You don’t do this by yourself. It takes a lot of people, and we’re grateful to all who have helped us and supported us,” he said.

Stromberg aims to grow CW4K, prioritizing water education and leveraging innovative technology like AI to tackle complex water challenges. His ultimate goal is for CW4K to become the world’s “control tower” for drinking water—a dynamic online portal offering resources, real-time problem-solving, and idea exchange for all things drinking water, sustained in part by mission-aligned advertising and partnerships.

CW4K relies on donations, sponsorship and canned water sales to fund these life-changing water initiatives. Want to learn more about CW4K and how your business can back the mission? Click here: https://www.cannedwater4kids.org/