Kids
Cafe provides a nutritious
after-school hot meal and a "kid-friendly" nutrition-education
program to hungry and at-risk-of-hunger children.
Food Bank for Westchester works with potential
Kids Cafe sites to develop program services and
funding.
Kids
Cafe is a trademarked program of Feeding America, the national food-bank network, and is implemented by a local Feeding America food
bank, in this case Food Bank for Westchester. There are over 1,200 Kids Cafes operating
across the United States
Each Kids Cafe program must serve a minimum of
20 children a day a minimum of three days a week,
and it must be located in a space that is easy for participating
children to get to and be safe.
A Kids Cafe survey conducted in 2001 by Con Agra Feeding
Children Better revealed that 2/3rds of
participating children in the 20 Kids Cafes surveyed
reported feeling better, happier and more energetic, plus they had
improved grades. Sixty four to seventy percent
of the parents of participating children reported
their children showed marked improvement in behavior,
physical health, learning and safety.
The Yonkers YMCA Kids Cafe, the first Kids
Cafe in Westchester, reported that, since
starting the Kids Cafe, there has been a marked
improvement in the behavior of participating children.
The children have more energy to participate in physical
activities, are able to better focus on intellectual tasks
such as computer lab and homework, are much nicer
to each other, fight less and actually socialize,
especially over their meal.
The following Kids Cafes are operating in Westchester:
New Little Branches Kids Cafe, 150 Woodworth Avenue, Yonkers: 20 kids
YMCA Yonkers Kids Cafe, 17 Riverdale Avenue, Yonkers: 45 kids
Carver Center, Port Chester
Don Bosco Kids Cafe, 22 Don Bosco Place, Port Chester 100 kids
Trinity Place Commu8nity Center Kids Cafe, 335 South 4th Avenue, Mount Vernon: 30 kids
Yonkers Community Action Program, 164 Ashburton Avenue, Yorktown: 35 kids
Boys & Girls Club Kisco Kids Cafe, 351 Main Street, Mt. Kisco: 100 kids
Lois Bronz Kids Cafe, 30 Manhattan Avenue, White Plains: 35 kids
In 2009-210, these 8 Kids Cafes provided 110,196 meals and snacks to 908 children:
10,571 breakfasts
10,572 lunches
25,005 snacks
64,048 dinners
They also provided 136 kid-friendly nutrition-education classes reaching 2,346 kids.
To learn more about Kids Cafe contact
Ferne Bordash, Manager Direct Service Programs at
914-923-1100, e mail ferne.bordash@foodbankforwestchester.org.
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