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KIDS CAFE

Food Bank of the Rockies Meal Program for Children

In metro Denver, countless children worry about where they will find their next meal.  They are the invisible and voiceless poor who stand in empty kitchens at 5:00 p.m. while their parents work minimum-wage jobs. Others watch their parents sell their food stamps for drugs and alcohol.  And still more belong to families unable to provide the nutritious meals necessary for their healthy development.

In January 1994, Food Bank of the Rockies responded to the need for a meal program designed specifically for children at risk of hunger when it launched the first Kids Cafe site at RudeRecreationCenterwith the support of the Denver Rustlers.  The program has since expanded to eleven locations in metro Denver, plus two on the Western Slope.  The Food Bank has built alliances with companies that provide food, recreation centers, schools, and organizations that provide facilities, volunteers who serve meals, and sponsors who underwrite the costs of operating Kids Cafe.  Last year, this community effort provided 175,000 meals in metro Denver’s poorest neighborhoods. 

Unique to this program is the setting.  Meals are served in conjunction with existing recreation, tutoring, gang intervention, mentoring and leadership programs. The availability of food enhances these programs’ effectiveness and decreases disciplinary issues. Numerous studies have shown a direct correlation between nutritious meals and increased academic performance in children.  Because Kids Cafe assures them a meal in a safe environment, children are able to focus, retain information and enjoy learning.

Food Bank of the Rockies’ Kids Cafe program also brings the community together while celebrating good health. The volunteers—mothers, fathers, grandparents, students nd professionals - enjoy providing nutritious meals  to the children in an atmosphere that is pleasant and nurturing. This spirit of cooperation and service creates a sense of community.

Why there is a need for Kids Cafe?

• In metro Denver, more than 60,000 children are living in poverty and are at risk of hunger. (US Census)

• On any given day, 42 percent of the homeless are infants, children and youth. (Metropolitan Denver Homeless Initiative)

• More than 40 percent of low-income children do not have access to nutritionally adequate diets for an active, healthy life. (USDA)

• Each month, Kids Cafe serves 16,000 nutritious meals throughout metro Denver..

Kids Cafe currently serves meals five nights each week at

13 locations Colorado for at-risk children:

• Clare Gardens Housing, serving 90 children.
• Glenarm Recreation Center serves 60 children.
• Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) La Familia Recreation Center, serving 25 children.
• Denver Rustlers Kids Cafe at Rude Recreation Center, serving 80 children.
• ConAgra Kids Cafe at Boettcher Boys and Girls Club, serving 100 children.
• Denver Broncos Boys and Girls Club serves 85 children
• Cope Boys and Girls Club, serving 90 children.
• Johnson Boys and Girls Club, serving 80 children.
• Rose Women’s Organization Kids Cafe at Owen Boys and Girls Club, serving 140 children.
• Wilfley Boys & Girls Club, serving 80 children
• EOP Educational Outreach for Children of the Homeless at Gilpin Elementary, serving 45 children.
• Colorado Housing & Finance Authority (CHFA) Craig Boys and Girls Club, Craig CO serving 65 children.
• Collbran CO’s Assembly of God Kids Café serving 30 children.  

The children eat their meals at covered tables with placemats and centerpieces.  They genuinely appreciate the warmth and dignity of being fed and nurtured in a caring and friendly environment by people upon whom they can rely. Kids Cafe provides less-fortunate children with some stability in an otherwise uncertain and unpredictable life.

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Western Slope Food Bank of the Rockies 734 Scarlet Drive Grand Junction, CO 81505-9430 Phone 1.970.243.3937 Toll Free 1.877.953.3937 Fax 1.970.243.3938 Westernslope@foodbankrockies.org Food Bank of the Rockies 10700 E. 45th Avenue Denver, CO 80239 Phone 1.303.371.9250 Toll Free 1.877.460.8504 Fax 1.303.371.9259 info@foodbankrockies.org Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies 4976 Paige Street P.O. Box 116 Mills, WY 82644-0116 Phone 1.307.265.2172 Toll free 1.877.265.2172 Fax 1.307.472.1869 Wyoming@foodbankrockies.org

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