Kids Cafe
In Rhode Island, nearly half of all school-aged children qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. To assist with dinner, Kids Cafe serves wholesome evening meals to more than 500 children at 10 sites in Providence and Newport.
The program, a partnership between the Food Bank and Boys & Girls Clubs and community centers, features meals prepared by the Community Kitchen program. Community Kitchen is a culinary training program that prepares unemployed adults for food service jobs.
Kids Cafe, a National Model
Ten years ago in Savannah, Georgia, two young boys broke into a community center desperate for food. The community responded by opening the nation’s first soup kitchen for kids.
Kids Cafe evolved from this model. It is part of Feeding America, a national network of more than 200 food banks.
Kids Cafe feeds more than 500 children at 10 sites:
In Providence
- Fox Point Boys & Girls Club
- Hartford Park Boys & Girls Club
- Boys & Girls Club of Providence at Chad Brown
- Sackett Street Recreational Center
- South Side Boys & Girls Club
- Wanskuck Boys & Girls Club
- Boys & Girls Club of Providence at Manton Heights
- West End Community Center
In Newport
- Central Clubhouse of the Boys & Girls Clubs
- Park Holm Boys & Girls Club