Kids Cafe
A nine-year-old girl at Newport Church of God sneaked into the church pantry, found a large knife, and used it to open a quart sized can of ravioli. When a church staff member found her using a plastic fork to get the ravioli out of the can’s jagged opening, the girl ran out of the room. Soon after, Newport church member Betty Crowley became the coordinator for the first Kids Cafe program. During one of the Kids Cafe meals at Newport Church of God, a seven-year-old girl finished five helpings of soup and asked Betty if she could go home and wake up her younger brother. When Betty asked why, the girl said “because he went to bed hungry.”
Stories like these are a harsh reality for many of our area’s children, but by serving over 8,400 hot meals per month at 15 after school sites, the Kids Cafe program sends children home with a full belly in anticipation that they may not eat until they return to school the next day. These sites such as schools, churches and community centers ensure that more children are getting the nutritious meals they need to learn and grow.
Power Pack
"I added a developmentally challenged preschool student to the Power Pack program today. He was asked in class yesterday what he would do if he had $100, and he answered 'Buy bread.' He cries when he gets on the bus to leave school because he knows he will be hungry at home. We are so lucky to have this program to make sure that students do not go hungry." – Power Pack site coordinator
Power Packs send nutritious, shelf stable food home on Friday with children who may not receive enough food over the weekend. They include items like milk, cereal, peanut butter, canned tuna or ravioli, and granola bars, all of which can be carried home easily in a child’s back pack and eaten safely without preparation or cooking. Currently, we're giving almost 2,500 Power Packs per month in 34 schools. The program works with site coordinators at each school to determine the children most in need and ensure that they receive their Power Packs each week.
Click here to support the Power Pack Program
