AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – Summer season is in full swing however with college out it leaves a number of youngsters meals insecure, that’s the place the Excessive Plains Meals Financial institution program Youngsters Café steps in.
“We’re an after-school program. Throughout the college 12 months, we offer that third meal on the finish of the day for youths which might be at school and enrolled in an after-school program. After which within the summertime, we flip into that piece that’s lacking,” mentioned Youngsters Café Govt Director Maribel Sotelo. “Which is summer season and lunch for most youngsters that they don’t have entry to through the college 12 months, that program runs all via the summer season.”
The Youngsters Café is working to deliver meals to youngsters within the Amarillo and Canyon areas to allow them to proceed to remain wholesome and fed through the summer season break.
“We don’t require any figuring out data they will simply present up and eat. It’s the identical for many of our websites, a few of our companions, that embody East Ridge Mission Middle, the Maverick Boys and Women Membership, the MAAC Middle, martial arts and exercise heart,” mentioned Sotelo. “They, after all, you understand, they’re half, they’re a part of a program, so youngsters which might be signed up there obtain a meal from us.”
Sotelo defined that within the counties that this system serves one in 4 youngsters are meals insecure.
“Perhaps they stay with a member of the family, or there’s various siblings within the dwelling the place they’ve added extra household, and there’s simply loads of people within the dwelling that you understand their funds’s simply not going far sufficient. And so our objective is to be sure that there’s entry to that meal, no matter that meals insecurity or despite it,” mentioned Sotelo.
Throughout the summer season youngsters throughout the world should not solely accessible to take pleasure in meals on the Youngsters Café from 12 p.m. till 1 p.m., however they will additionally take pleasure in a number of actions.
“Not solely do they get the good thing about socializing with different youngsters, socializing with different individuals, they get to be taught one thing new. Perhaps there’s an exercise they’ve by no means performed earlier than, and so that offers them that chance, that piece of not feeling like they’re simply coming for a meals handout,” mentioned Sotelo.
Jamrious Mils a employee at Youngsters Café mentioned that he loves bringing smiles to the kids’s faces as they take pleasure in a wholesome meal.
“They could must be dwelling by themselves or must go to a facility or one thing. So have the ability to present the meals for them, assist them have one thing to eat between these occasions when their dad and mom are there, dad and mom should not there, or whoever provides their meals and stuff,” mentioned Mils.
For extra data on this system and tips on how to get a summer season meal for free of charge, go to here.
For the most recent Amarillo news and regional updates, examine with MyHighPlains.com and tune in to KAMR Native 4 Information at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. and Fox 14 Information at 9:00 p.m. CST.