Kids Cafe

Feeding the Minds and Bodies of Our Future... Children

Welcome to the Kids Cafe page. Through the Kids Cafe program at Second Harvest of South Georgia, Inc., more than 1,000 children receive a free, nutritious meal each night after school. If a child is enrolled in a participating after school program (example: Boys & Girls Club), he or she will receive a hot meal plus a serving of milk and an hour of homework assistance before going home. All meals are prepared in the Don F. Reames Community Kitchen at Second Harvest and are transported to each site in temperature-controlled containers on a daily basis. The meals are always provided free-of-charge to children under the age of 18. We currently serve meals at 17 sites, and we are actively searching for other host sites. There are volunteer opportunities available at each Kids Cafe location. If you are interested in volunteering at one of our sites please contact Eva Lott at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call (229) 244-2678.

If you are interested in opening a Kids Cafe site, please download and complete the Kids Cafe Application (available in Microsoft Word format) and mail to:

KIDS CAFE APPLICATION
Second Harvest of South Georgia, Inc.
1411 Harbin Circle
Valdosta, Georgia 31601

After review of your completed application, you will be contacted by a member of our staff.

Click here to download the Kids Cafe Site Childcare Licensure Exemption Form (available in Microsoft Word format). This application must be filled out, submitted, and approved by the state of Georgia’s Bright From The Start Office (Atlanta) if you are a 501 (c)(3) organization applying to become a site.

Click here to download the Application Guidelines for Childcare Licensure Exemption (available in Microsoft Word format).

For more information on this program please contact:

For more information about Kids Cafe, please:
Winona Hodges Green
Community Kitchen Director
(229) 244-2678 Ext. 243
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The problem of childhood hunger is not simply a moral issue. Scientific evidence suggests that children who are hungry are less likely to become productive citizens. There is significant medical data available that provides compelling evidence that hungry children- even those who experience only mild malnutrition during the critical stages of their development- may suffer negative, life-altering consequences. Children who are denied an adequate diet may suffer abnormal brain, cognitive, and psychological development which, if not corrected, can be irreparable. Hungry children have a harder time comprehending in school, they have shorter attention spans, and suffer more absences due to illness. A child who is unequipped to learn because of hunger and poverty is more likely to be poor as an adult. The following is a statistical snapshot of childhood hunger in the United States:

In 2006, 12.8 million children, or 17.4 percent of all children under age 18, were poor – a larger percentage than any other age group.
In 2006, 13.6 percent of American families with children under age 18 admitted that their children had skipped meals within the last 12 months because there was not enough money to purchase food.
62 percent of low-income children served by our network are enrolled in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and only half (51%) of the children we serve at emergency feeding sites are enrolled in the School Breakfast Program (SBP).
Nearly half of all food pantries and two-thirds of all soup kitchens that see seasonal changes in clients report that they serve many more kids in summer.
Almost 25 percent of the people in a soup kitchen line are children.
Over 80 percent of the participants in the National School Breakfast Program live in low-income families.
In fiscal year 2006, nearly half 49 percent of children were food stamp recipients.

Active Kids Cafe Sites: Boys & Girls Club Valdosta, Rope of Hope, Ora Lee West, Hudson Docket, Quitman Elementary, North Brooks Elementary, Boys & Girls Club Thomasville, Douglas Alumni Association, Southside Recreation Center, Thomasville Community Resource Center, Boys & Girls Club Camilla/Mitchell County, Boys & Girls Club Camilla/Pelham Unit, Boys & Girls Club Camilla/Jester Unit, Boys & Girls Club Camilla/Teen Center, Boys & Girls Club Berrien County/Hwy 125, Boys & Girls

Club Berrien County/Dogwood, Boys & Girls Club/Adel Unit.

References:

Wolkwitz, Kari. United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation. Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: Fiscal Year 2006, September 2007.

i.Rhoda Cohen, M. Kim, and J. Ohls. Hunger In America 2006. America's Second Harvest-The Nation’s Food Bank Network. February 2006.

United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. National School Lunch Program: Participation and Lunches Served.

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