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 | According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 31,000 children in the
tri-state live in poverty. |
| Even mild under-nutrition experienced by young children may lead to
reductions in physical growth and affect brain development. |
| Twelve percent of individuals in the tri-state live at or below
poverty level of those, thirty-four percent are children.
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| The Kids Cafe Program and Back Pack Program help fill the gap for many
children who rely on free lunches during the school year and during the
summer when kids are out of school.. |
Weekend
BackPack-Food for Kids
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picture to see program information
Kids Cafe -Sponsored by Tri-State Food Band-Hosted by the Dream Center
Click picture to see program information for current site
More Kids Cafe Information
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for National Program site
Kids Cafe
Kids Cafe is a program of America's Second Harvest and was adopted as a
national initiative to focus on and channel national and local resources to feed
hungry children. Currently Kids Cafe is one of the nation's largest
charitable meal service programs, providing free and prepared food and nutrition
education to hungry children. One of the primary strengths of this program
is its flexibility. We are in the process of developing new sites
throughout the tri-state area targeting locations close to schools with higher
rates of at-risk children. The collaborative effort will be designed to
improve already existing enrichment programs by adding prepared meals and
nutrition education. We will select member agencies interested in hosting
Kids Cafe sites based on their current program curriculum and commitment to
incorporate nutritious prepared meals into their program....
Program
Benefits
The Kids Cafe program is different from other
childhood and after-school programs in the following ways:
| It involves the leadership of America's
Second Harvest-The Nation's Food Bank Network, connecting local
communities with regional and national efforts to end childhood hunger. |
| It has a unique combination of
objectives to guide in the development of local, distinctive and
innovative program models. |
| It utilizes America's Second Harvest
national resources to call attention to childhood hunger. |
| This program involves strategic
planning activities that can contribute to the larger member strategy to
meet the needs of those living in our community. |
Program Objectives
| Provide nutritious meals to
children in need. The
Tri-State Food Bank provides the food items used in the preparation of
nutritious meals, and also provides primary program support. |
| Supplement meals with
nutrition education activities. The Purdue Extension Office provides
nutrition education to the children participating in the locally Kids Cafe
program. |
| Local sites within easy access
to children in need. We are in the process of
developing new sites throughout the tri-state area, targeting locations
close to schools with higher rates of at-risk
children. Currently, we have a Kids Cafe located at St. Anthony's
Center for Family Life. |
| Conduct activities within safe
sites, under the supervision of trustworthy staff.
Background checks are made on all staff and volunteers
participating in a Kids Cafe site. The St. Anthony's site was recognized
by Weed and Seed as being a "Safe Haven" for children. |
| Support childhood
socialization activities by involving community and family members. The collaborative
effort is designed to improve already existing enrichment programs by
adding prepared meals and nutrition education. Providing tutoring
and mentoring, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, have been a significant
partner in the program. |
| Involve additional resources
and partners in order to assure sustainability of these and other efforts.
Local organizations are invited to provide guest speakers in order to
introduce program participants to a wide array of topics. Students
from the University of Southern Indiana have worked on projects with the
kids and are a wonderful resource for role models. |
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