Creative Ideas for Feeding Hungry Kids

Greater Berks Food Bank (Reading, PA), recently piloted “Produce for Kids,” a valuable addition to its lineup of effective programs for hungry kids, which includes Kids Café (afterschool meals) and Weekender Backpack (groceries for weekend). A long-held desire to distribute highly nutritious foods directly to underserved children sparked Produce for Kids, which delivers a bag filled with fresh produce to elementary school children on a weekday afternoon immediately after school. Extra produce is provided to help feed younger siblings at home. The program targets elementary schools that are not served by Kids Cafe programs. Winning the No Kid Hungry Innovation Award would help make “Produce for Kids” a permanent program.

Share (Vancouver, WA) runs the SummerSLAM (Student Learning Active Minds) program for kids (K-8) in July and August. Share’s SummerSLAM program is noteworthy because family members are welcome at meal times to receive a nutritious meal along with the students. And, SummerSLAM plans to expand its educational program through a partnership with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, which will add a hands-on science component. More than 200 children will participate in an innovative science-based program while receiving two nutritious meals, five days a week. In 2009, SLAM hosted 520 children and served 11,000 meals.

Harvest House Missions (Ontario, Oregon) runs the SEASON Youth Program which provides services for runaway or homeless youth. SEASON is developing a youth mentoring program to teach young adults the basics of menu development, ingredient sourcing, and food preparation—so they can cook for and serve their peers during the afterschool meal program. The program will use fresh, healthy, and nutritionally balanced foods, sourcing ingredients from locally grown product as often as possible. This project has the potential to do more than feed hungry teens. It can also provide valuable skills and educate those who are most vulnerable to society’s fast food and easy food epidemic, helping to prevent the poor health that often results.

Voting ends June 10 for the Beyond the Lunch Line category. Cast your vote today and help an innovative program win a $25,000 No Kid Hungry Innovation award for feeding kids when school is out.