Programs & Resources >

Food For Kids 

Food distribution programs for children and teens

• Kids Cafe (KC)
• Weekend Bag Program
  
  

What do we do?
Investing in the lives of children and the community, the Food For Kids department provides healthy food to children and teens who are at risk of hunger in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Why must we serve?

1 in 2 children in the District of Columbia are at risk of hunger.

In Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, 1 in 5 children and in Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 are at risk of hunger.

Every single child that suffers from hunger or malnutrition is one too many.  Childhood hunger is much more than an aching stomach.  Just one meal missed has adverse effects on concentration and energy levels.  Research indicates that mild malnutrition during critical growing stages may lead to reductions in physical growth and affect brain development.  Hungry children do not perform as well in school and become ill more frequently than well-nourished peers.  Without these programs, the free or reduced breakfast and lunch at school would be the only source of food for many Kids Cafe and Weekend Bag participants.

Childhood hunger at a glance

• In 2002, 34.9 million Americans lived in food-insecure households, 21.8 million adults and 13.1 million children. 
• From 1996 to 2002, the proportion of households in Washington, DC without sufficient nutritious food averaged 12.7 percent, among the highest state prevalence rates in the country. Hunger Filled With Dire Consequences, J. Cook & D. Frank, 2004
• Both obesity and hunger are serious public health problems, sometimes co-existing in the same families and the same individuals.  Their co-existence sounds contradictory, but those with insufficient resources and education to purchase adequate nutritious food can become overweight.  According to the National Survey on Children's Health (2003), DC has the highest rate of obesity in 10 to 17 year old children (22.8% obese) in the nation.
• The number of obese children has quadrupled from 1971 to 2000, reaching 15% for those ages 6 to 11.  Obese adolescents are twice as apt to live in low-income homes.  Center on Hunger and Poverty & Food Research Center, 2003

Become part of the solution

Give Time

You can make a difference by volunteering with our Food For Kids programs. We are looking for:

• Warehouse Volunteers
• Administrative Volunteers (email for current opportunities)

Give Food

You can help by donating kid-friendly, nutritious foods for our food programs.  Click here for a list of our most needed items.

Give Funds

Tax-deductible contributions will help fund the programs.  As little as $20 provides approximately 15 nutritious meals to children at risk of hunger.

For more information contact Kendra Rowe, Director of Food For Kids at 202-526-5344 ext. 239 or email: rowek@cfoodbank.org. 

Kids Cafe

What is Kids Cafe?
Kids Cafe partners with after school programs to provide food to children.   Well-balanced hearty snacks or evening meals are provided to youth ages 5-18 years old in an environment that is safe and accessible.  Across the nation, more than 1,700 Kids Cafes are operated by Food Banks in conjunction with Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization.  Locally, the Capital Area Food Bank serves more than 2,000 children and teens at 50 after school and summer sites.  Kids Cafe provides more than 230,000 meals each year.

Where are the Kids Cafe sites located?
Kids Cafe sites are located throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area in local recreation centers, churches, schools, and community centers.

What services do Kids Cafe sites provide?
Children receive more than a nutritious meal at partner sites.  Each location's unique programs offer a variety of academic and/or social enrichment activities.  In a safe and accessible environment, activities such as tutoring, mentoring, literacy training, computer training, sports, and social skills development are provided for the children.  Teen programs provide enrichment alternatives for at risk youth.  In addition, our partnerships with local athletic teams, also offer opportunities to attend DC United and Washington Wizards games.

What impact do we have?
By providing nutritious food and access to nutrition education, these programs contribute to improved health, reduced behavior problems, and improved school performance of participants.

Without Kids Cafe, the free or reduced breakfast and lunch at school would be the only source of food available to many participants.

"Being able to provide meals and snacks for the youth in our neighborhood has been a great help to us in making sure the youth in our area eat at least one meal on a daily basis.  We have increased the amount of youth that attend our programs and we are able to use money we would spend for snacks on other things to help provide a safe and fun environment for our youth at the Kentland Community Center."
- Donald L. Long, program specialist, Kentland Community Center, Maryland

"Not only are we able to provide a nourishing snack or meal each day, we also are reinforcing our goal of fostering a wholesome and healthy environment for our children."
- Barton C. Stone, Director of Youth Programs, Edgewood Management Community Services

For more information about Kids Cafe in DC, contact Patricia Massey, Kids Cafe Coordinator at 202-526-5344 ext. 226 or email: dckidscafe@cfoodbank.org. 

For more information about Kids Cafe in MD, contact Nili Yossinger, MD Kids Cafe Coordinator at 202-526-5344 ext. 228 or email: mdkidscafe@cfoodbank.org.

For information about Kids Cafe in Northern Virginia, contact Jeff Poch, NOVA Kids Cafe Coordinator at 703-541-3063 ext. 12 or email pochj@cfoodbank.org.

Weekend Bag

What is the Weekend Bag Program?
Each week we deliver supplemental bags of food to community based sites serving more than 1,000 children of low income families in the Washinton Metropolitan Area.  This program is designed to help ease hunger during the days that school is out since many of the children served rely on free and reduced school breakfasts and lunches for their main meals.

How are the Weekend Bags prepared and distributed?
These nutritious kid friendly food bags are packed by groups of volunteers weekly for delivery by Food Bank trucks.  The bags are distributed each week for the children to carry home for weekend use. 

For more information, contact Nili Yossinger, WB Coordinator, 202-526-5344 ext. 228 or email: yossingern@cfoodbank.org