Food2Kids
Turning the Tables on Childhood Hunger

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC helps to provide Food2Kids in need across Northwest NC through our partner agencies like soup kitchens, emergency food pantries and low-income daycare centers. We also collaborate with our partner agencies to provide Food2Kids through two special programs aimed at reducing childhood hunger: Kids Cafes and The BackPack Program, both nationwide initiatives of Feeding America feeding hungry children locally.

Kids Cafes
In Savannah, GA in 1989, two young brothers were discovered one night in the kitchen of their hosuing project's community center after the older brother broke into the kitchen to feed himslef an dhis younger brother. In response, Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia started the first Kids Cafe.

Ten years ago, with support from the Kate B. Reynolds Poor & Needy Trust, Second Harvest Food Bank solidified its commitment to alleviating childhood hunger, launching its first Kids Cafe, now a nationwide initiative of Feeding America, feeding children at risk of hunger in local urban communities.Kids Cafes provide children at risk of hunger with an evening meal, tutoring and enrichment activities three nights a week throughout the year in a safe and nurturing environment.

Program sites are made possible through partnerships with pre-exisiting after school programs or other interested community and faith-based partners. Community partners provide a location, volunteers and coordinate the day-to-day operations of the programs, with program oversight provided by our Agency Relations Manager, Nikki Cook (ncook@secondharvest.org).

Second Harvest Food Bank provides cook salaries, staff support, technical assistance, volunteer recruitment support and food for each Kids Cafe site. Financial supporters for fiscal year 2007-08 included Dell, Food Lion Foundation and Western Union Foundations through Feeding America, High Point Community Foundation, Orr Foundation and United Way of Forsyth County. In addition, a portion of proceeds from Empty Bowls, our signature annual fundraiser presented by Texas Pete Sauces, supports the program. Expenses are kept to a minimum through use of the Second Harvest Food Bank’s food distribution program.

You can support this and other programs by making a donation. You can also support Kids Cafes with your time – serving meals or tutoring youth by donating supplies.

Kids Cafe Program Partners

In Forsyth County—

• Cleveland Avenue Homes Community Center and North Winston Baptist Church
• Green Street United Methodist Church and the YMCA/Community Outreach Services Hispanic Achievers Program
• Parkway United Church of Christ and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
• Piedmont Park Community Center and North Winston Baptist Church
• The Ken Carlson Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club at Reynolds Park Road
• The Salvation Army International Corps Boys and Girls Club on New Walkertown Road
• Main Street United Methodist and First Baptist Church

In Guilford County—

• Rankin Memorial United Methodist Church and West End Ministries
• Ward Street United Methodist Church and Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater High Point
  

The BackPack Program
The BackPack program concept was developed in Little Rock, Arkansas after a school nurse asked for help because hungry students were coming to her with stomach aches and dizziness. The food bank in Little Rock responded by launching the first BackPack program to provide elementary school children at risk of hunger with backpacks full of nutritious, child-friendly foods to take home over the weekends during the school year. With funding provided by Lowes Foods for seven pilot sites, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC launched its first program site in 2005.

Program sites are made possible through partnerships with partner agencies of Second Harvest Food Bank and selected schools that have have 50% or more of students receiving free or reduced price school meals, with program oversight provided by our Agency Relations Manager, Nikki Cook (ncook@secondharvest.org). Partner agencies pick up food from Second Harvest Food Bank and recruit and coordinate volunteers to fill the backpacks for delivery to selected schools each Friday. Each program distributes a maximum of 50 backpacks per week. School teachers and administrators determine which children will participate. Parental consent is required for each child, and student names are kept confidentially at the school.

Financial supporters for fiscal year 2007-08 included American Express, Annie Penn Community Trust, Lowes Foods/ George Foundation, Salem Presbytery and Syngenta Corporation.

You can support this and other programs by making a donation or learn more about the program by contacting Agency Relations Manager, Nikki Cook at (ncook@secondharvest.org) or 336.784.5770.

BackPack Program Partners
Lowes Foods has provided funding for seven pilot BackPack Program sites. Each is supported by the Second Harvest Food Bank in collaboration with the following partners:

• Alexander County — Taylorsville Rotary Club with Taylorsville Elementary School
• Alleghany County — Alleghany County Ministerium with Sparta School
• Ashe County — Ashe Outreach Ministries with Blue Ridge Elementary School
• Davidson County — Fairgrove Family Resource Center with Briarcreek Elementary School
• Davidson County — Communities in Schools and the West Davidson Ministers Association with Churchland Elementary
• Iredell County — First Baptist Church of Statesville with Third Creek Elementary School
• Rockingham County — Reidsville Outreach Center with Williamsburg Elementary School
• Stokes County — King Outreach Ministry with Nancy Reynolds Elementary School
• Surry County — SEAMS Ministries with Westfield Elementary School

Learn more about Second Harvest Food Bank's work to alleviate childhood hunger.