Every child deserves a future. Our Kids Cafes came into being to help keep hunger from stealing that future from the children of Central Virginia.
Our Kids Cafe program came about in the mid-1990’s, when we began receiving less and less amounts of canned and packaged foods, while the availability of prepared and perishable foods increased. This food could not be distributed through our warehouse program, but oh, what a difference it could make in the lives of disadvantaged children in our service area.
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Where Do Our Kids Cafes Operate?
Our 50 Kids Cafes
operate in partnership with existing after-school and summer programs that provide mentoring, homework help, sports and more. Along with our hot, healthy meals, these Boys and Girls Clubs, community centers, YMCA, Salvation Army, and others make a real difference in the lives of the low-income children they serve.
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This is particularly true in the metro Richmond area, where the poverty rate is more than twice the Virginia average. In fact, in the City of Richmond it’s 38% and in Petersburg it’s 40%, compared to the state average of 17%. That means right here in our own backyard there are tens of thousands of children who go to bed hungry every day. The problem is even greater in the summer months, when low-income children do not receive their free or reduced-price meals at school. <MORE>
CAPITAL ONE LEADS THE WAY IN KIDS CAFE COMMITMENT
From sponsoring our first Kids Cafe site in 1997, through its current sponsorship of seven Kids Cafes, Capital One Services has provided immeasurable financial and in-kind support for our Kids Cafe program. In fact, not only do they sponsor seven locations for a total annual cost of $90,300, but they also funded the construction of the Providence Park Boys & Girls Club, shown below. <MORE>
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