Every afternoon, hundreds of children across Lubbock leave school and head for after-school programs. Many of them play sports, talk with friends, work on their homework, or participate in enrichment projects. However, a growing number of these children lack the energy to play, learn, laugh, or grow. Instead of playing basketball or practicing their math, they sit on the sidelines, the effects of hunger and poor nutrition keeping them from fully enjoying their childhood.
One out of every four children in the South Plains lives in poverty. Of children served by the South Plains Food Bank, an alarming 34 percent miss meals regularly each month. Too many of our children go to bed hungry every night; this stunts their physical growth and mental development, and prevents them from reaching their fullest potential. Recent research finds compelling evidence that even “mild” under-nutrition during any time in childhood has negative effects on the cognitive development of children and their later productivity as adults. Undernourished children are tired and apathetic - uninterested in social interaction. In a city as prosperous and plentiful as Lubbock, childhood hunger is inexcusable. Kids Café combines resources from the Food Bank, local wholesalers and restaurants, and the community to provide children with the proper nutrition and emotional and physical support they need.
Our Kids Cafe program has been in operation since January 18, 2000. We now serve an average of 2,500 meals per week at fifteen sites: Central Church of Christ, Guadalupe Neighborhood Center, Optimist Boys and Girls Club, Wilson Boys and Girls Club, Slaton’s Earl Powell Community Center, Madison Park Community Center, Maggie Trejo Super Center, Matthews/New Directions, Phea Boys and Girls Club, Shalom/Asbury United Methodist, The ROK, Parkway Neighborhood Center, Shallowater Boys and Girls Club, Crickett Court Ministries, and Abernathy United Methodist Church.
Kids Cafes serve hot, nutritious meals prepared by the South Plains Food Bank staff at the new state-of-the-art Kitchen of Hope facility. All Kids Cafe sites have structured supervised activities and enrichment opportunities for children and their families. In choosing new Kids Cafe locations, we target economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, areas of high unemployment, and neighborhoods with high numbers of children who qualify for free and reduced school meals. We also rely heavily on stories of children going hungry related to us by the social workers, teachers, and volunteers who work with children in these neighborhoods.
