Kids Cafes Fuel Success
Boys & Girls Clubs help young people fulfill their potential,
but how can Clubs realize this goal if children's basic needs aren't being met? How, for instance, can a hungry child concentrate on learning? Studies show that youth who grow up poor and undernourished are nearly three times more likely to experience stunted growth, suffer two to four times as many health problems, and more likely to repeat a grade in school than those who are adequately nourished.
To expand nutrition opportunities for children, Boys & Girls Clubs of America formed a partnership in 2004 with America's Second Harvest – The Nation's Food Bank Network, the country's largest hunger-relief organization. The partnership revolves around Kids Cafe®, a 12-year-old America's Second Harvest program. With 1,300 sites nationwide – including more than 200 in Boys & Girls Clubs – it's one of the largest meal service programs in the country; its doors are open to any hungry child and everyone eats for free.
Kids Cafes offer a safe, nurturing environment when children
do not have access to meals through federal school breakfast and lunch programs. In 2003, more than 13 million meals
and snacks were served at Kids Cafes in 40 states and Washington, D.C.
In Arizona, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix provided nearly 98,500 meals in 2004 alone. According to research by America's Second Harvest, 38 percent of youth there said they might not receive lunch or dinner if it weren't
for the program.
In Colorado, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver collaborated with the Food Bank of the Rockies to start a
Kids Cafe at one branch in 1999; today, there are Kids Cafes in all six Denver-area Clubs. This translates to approximately 630 meals, including 78 pounds of protein and 39 gallons of milk, each day.
The exciting partnership between BGCA and America's
Second Harvest gives Clubs nationwide a valuable resource for providing young people with the energy and nutrition they need to thrive and realize their full potential. |
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