NE IA Food Bank Announces Kids Cafe Sites and Times For 2015/2016 School Year

One in five children in Black Hawk County struggles with hunger daily. The Northeast Iowa Food Bank will provide assistance by providing FREE evening meals to youth after school at four different locations.

Meal sites for the 2015/2016 school year include the Waterloo Salvation Army and three Boys and Girls Club sites in Waterloo, Evansdale and Holmes Junior High in Cedar Falls. Serving time is at 5:00 p.m. for all sites.

Kids Cafe is an after-school program that provided almost 40,000 meals and snacks to children in Black Hawk County last fiscal year. In addition to providing a meal, the program also offers a safe-haven and positive environment for area youth. The program is supported by Iowa’s Child and Adult Care Food Program.

 “Food insecurity is a lack of consistent access to adequate amounts of nutritious food, and that lack of access continues to be an issue in our community,” - Barbara Prather, Executive Director of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank

Meals are provided without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Child care participants who are members of FIP or food assistance households or who are Head Start participants are automatically eligible to receive free meals. Adult care participants who are members of food assistance households or who are SSI or Medicaid participants are automatically eligible to receive free meal benefits. Anyone who attends this program will be served.

For more information about the Kids Cafe program, please contact Roger Wilson, Program Coordinator for the Northeast Iowa Food Bank at 319-235-0507 or by email at rowilson@feedingamerica.org.

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank provides nutritious food and grocery products, to about 200 nonprofit organizations and programs who assist the hungry, and to individuals who need food assistance to sustain life. Last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 6 million pounds of food within a 16-county service area.

The Food Bank provides eight programs that serve the community-Member Agency Distribution, Cedar Valley Food Pantry, the BackPack Program, Kids Cafe, Elderly Nutrition, Mobile Food Pantries, Summer Feeding and a Community Garden. Encompassing all of these programs is nutrition education. The Food Bank is a member of the Iowa Food Bank Association and Feeding America. For more information visit www.northeastiowafoodbank.org.