"Welcome
to Kids Café... may I take your order, please?"
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Summary:
Kid's Café
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The
Kids Café program is possibly the nation's
largest private free meal service for children. |
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Through
the Kids Café program, children are
provided with nutritious meals, social interaction,
and a safe environment. |
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There
are more than 1,600 Kids Café's currently
operating, with plans to expand everyday. |
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72% of parents interviewed ranked the Kids
Café program as "very important"
in terms of being able to feed their children
on a daily basis." |
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December
2006 N.2 |
| "Welcome
to Kids Café... may I take your order, please?" |
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When you hear the term "Kids Café", what
do you think of? Perhaps a restaurant staffed with tiny
little waiters and waitresses, or maybe one targeted just
at children, like the local pizza/birthday party spot?
Well, this Kids Café is different. No, it isn't
staffed by kids, although they do participate. Yes, it
is targeted at children; however, these aren't children
who show up just for a party. These are children who would
most likely miss meals if not for this particular Kids
Café.
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So
What is Kids Café, and What Does It Do?
Although
each Kid's Café program is unique, all are
designed to provide free meals and/or snacks to
hungry children. In addition, they also learn about
proper nutrition, participate in games and educational
activities, and are offered the chance to socialize
in a safe place. Operating in conjunction with local
community resources such as Boys and Girls Clubs,
churches, and schools, Kids Café programs
are able to provide food to those most in need. |
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For many children and parents, it may well be the best
part of their day. Through the services Kids Café
programs offer to children, they are fed and safe. As
for the parents or caregivers, most of them aren't able
to be with their kids at mealtimes, as well as having
problems with child care and food insecurity in the household.
Kids Café is a valuable, viable solution to many
problems hungry families face on a daily basis.
In
1989, in Savannah, GA, a local housing project's community
center kitchen was broken into. It turns out it was a
pair of young brothers, the older one breaking in, in
an attempt to feed himself and his younger brother. The
Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia launched the
first Kids Café in response to this incident. In
1993, America's Second Harvest Food Bank started a national
Kids Café program. To date, there are more than
1,600 Kids Cafes operating in the United States, with
plans to expand through the ConAgra Foods Feeding Children
Better Foundation.
| Daily
Bread Food Bank was approached by Carol Chong of
the Miami Dade County Public Schools Department
of Food and Nutrition. She was interested in starting
a local Kid's Café program in conjunction
with a culinary program she was developing. Daily
Bread Food Bank liked the idea and soon contacted
the Jim Moran Foundation and told them about the
idea. They loved it! And with their funding, the
participation of the culinary students, and Daily
Bread Food Bank providing the food, the first "Kids
Café" was born at the Joe Hall Elementary
School. |
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| Daily
Bread Food Bank has continued to respond to the
needs of children through partnering with The Children's
Trust and the Department of Health. By working together,
a one-of-a-kind distribution program has been created
that today provides 4,000 snacks a day to low income,
at-risk children. |
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Since the programs onset, Daily Bread Food Bank has distributed
over 600,000 snacks to more than 50 sites in our community.
As our program continues to grow, Daily Bread Food Bank
seeks new ways to meet the needs of local area children.
Through the development of Back Pack programs and additional
after school snack program sites, Daily Bread Food Bank
works towards ending food insecurity for children.
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It's More Than Just a Food Program
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Obviously,
feeding hungry kids is the main objective; but the other
services that Kids Cafes offers have a broad impact as
well.
According to the parents and program directors, the guarantee
of a safe place for the kids was a key benefit of the
program, and the educational services it provides have
a lasting effect on the children's lives. The children
and the parents both reported that the kids were healthier,
better-behaved, and did better in school, all because
of the food and guidance offered by Kids Café programs.
When interviewed, even the children said, "It's a
lot of fun. You get something to eat, a place to do your
homework, and you get to do fun things. It's way better
than being on the street."
All of this makes Kids Cafes an invaluable resource for
any community. If you would like more information on how
you and/or your company can make a difference in the life
of a child, please contact me at 1-888-633-9861. Together
we can change the world - one child at a time!
Kind regards,
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Judith
Gatti
Executive Director
Daily Bread Food Bank |
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Daily Bread Food Bank is launching its first Back Pack
Program. For more information please call Keytia Ortiz
at 305-474-8805.
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"Fighting
hunger is a very important part of my life. I feel
blessed to be able to utilize the tools and resources
afforded to me to help make a difference in the
lives of others." Kelly Murphy, Owner-Panache
Party Rentals
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We
would like to thank the following POP Superheroes that
generously donated online after the launch of our first
eNewsletter in September:
| Mary
Baltos |
The
Lustig Company |
Arthur
Dunkelman |
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| Elizabeth
Marsh |
Linda
Evans |
Jennifer
Somach |
| Doriane
Gordon |
Eileen
Spiegler |
Maria
Hopkin |
| Anna
Torres |
Marissa
Kelley |
Bailey
Usdin |
| Sarah
Landman |
Don
Young |
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Together, they helped us provide enough food for an additional
3,438 meals to those less fortunate in South Florida.
We would love to see your name here on the next edition;
please give and become a POP Superhero!  |
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What percentage of food distributed by Daily
Bread Food Bank will go to children?
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A.
3%
B.
23%
C.
30%
D.
43% Answer |
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Daily
Bread Food Bank
Randy Miller
Special Events/Communications Coordinator
5850 NW 32 Avenue
Miami, FL 33142
Tel. (305) 633-9861
Fax (305) 633-0036
rmiller@dailybread.org
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Daily
Bread Food Bank, a not-for-profit organization,
empowers other South Florida not-for-profit organizations
to feed needy people and improve their lives.
We do this by providing food and other grocery
products; and by educating and engaging our community
to fight hunger and poverty.
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Foremost we respect your privacy.
Daily
Bread will never rent or sell your information to anyone.
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© 2006 Daily Bread. All rights reserved.
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