Our Kids Summer Food Program served 26,423 nutritious meals across 19 metro and rural sites this summer.
“This year we had many returning locations and new partners,” said Trent Gaddie, Rural & Food Access Coordinator. “Each site looked a little bit different. Some offered weekly grab-and-go meals, while others provided a camp-like setting where children ate by grade level and spent time with friends.”
Catholic Charities provided the meal service, but volunteers operated the program. “In many rural communities, the same volunteers show up every day. They build close relationships with the children and families they serve,” Gaddie added. “I also got to know one family this summer. It was special to get to know them on a personal level, and by the end of summer, they had really opened up to me and we had become friends,” he shared.
The program had many successes this year. Rural locations, such as the Axtell American Legion in Axtell, Kansas, provided numerous meals due to families driving into town to participate in the program, as the need was so great. The Kansas City, Kansas Public Library also had a strong first year and has reached out to Catholic Charities in hopes of offering a similar program throughout the school year.
