In Savannah, GA in 1989, two young brothers were discovered late one night in the kitchen of their housing project's community center after the older brother broke into the kitchen to feed himself and his younger brother.

In response to this glaring example of child hunger, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia started the first Kids Cafe. In 1993, America's Second Harvest launched the national Kids Cafe program.

Kids Cafe programs provide free meals and snacks to low-income children through a variety of existing community locations where children congregate such as Boys and Girls Clubs, churches or public schools. In addition to providing meals to hungry kids, some Kids Cafe programs also offer a safe place, where under the supervision of trustworthy staff, a child can get involved in educational, recreational and social activities that draw on existing community programs and often include family members.

Fast Facts

•  Kids Cafe is the most expansive child-feeding program in the nation.

•  There are over 1,700 established Kids Cafes in operation.

•  Over 12 million children live in food insecure households. 

For more information about the Kids Cafe program, please contact June Tanoue, Child Hunger Programs Team Leader at 312.641.6830 or at jtanoue@secondharvest.org