In its 1994 report, the Children's Defense Fund
cites poverty as the root cause of inadequate nutrition among children. One
third of the children in Pittsburgh live in poverty and for African American
children this figure increases to 57 percent. The Childhood Hunger
Identification Project study completed by Just Harvest indicates that nearly
29,000 children under the age of 12 are hungry or at risk if hunger in Allegheny
County. A study of Food Pantry use in Allegheny County indicated that nearly a
quarter of 400 households surveyed ran out of money to buy food at least once in
the previous 30 days, suggesting that for the estimated 65,000 families living
at the poverty threshold there is an ongoing need for supplemental sources of
food.
The connection between nutrition deficits and children's health, school
performance, and development was identified by a Tufts University study that
noted that iron deficiency anemia, which affects a quarter of the poor children
in the United States, is associated with impaired cognitive development. Both
the Children's Defense Fund and the Tufts study cited the need for supplemental
feeding programs as the first defense in reducing hunger in children.
The purpose of the Kids Cafe project, originated in Savannah, Georgia, is to
develop and operate a supplemental food program designed to meet the needs of
children at risk of hunger. Based on their experiences, low income children
participate in supplemental programs for a number of reasons, most commonly:
1. Children do not have access to charitable food services such as "Soup
Kitchens," which operated during the day while they are at school, and do
not normally serve food that is appropriate or interesting to children.
2. Many children live with parents whose work schedules prevent them from
preparing an evening meal.
3. Although food may be available, children at home without supervision are
unable to properly prepare it for themselves and their siblings.
While many schools now have National School Breakfast and Lunch programs, the
Just Harvest study indicates that some children do not enroll in these programs
due to embarrassment. Kids Cafe offers an alternative to adult oriented soup
kitchens, providing a supplemental dinner meal to hungry children, in a child
friendly, safe setting.
In 1995, working in collaboration with two after school programs, Rainbow
Kitchen Community Services, located in Homestead, PA, opened the first Kids Cafe
program in Pennsylvania. At the time 40% of all Steel Valley families had one or
both parents in the labor force. Many of the same risk factors that warrant
supplemental food programming for children also help create the need for
comprehensive after school programming, especially high poverty levels in the
Steel Valley, the large percentage of single parent families (24%), the high
teen birthrate (16%), and increasing drug activity and gang related violence in
the area. Both after school programs provide tutoring, mentoring, computer
access, and other activities. Both sites also fulfill the basic criteria for
Kids Café site selection: Natural proximity to a large group of needy children
near an elementary school, or low income housing community; Space available for
use at a low cost or no cost basis; Space safe and appropriate for the desired
us.
A trend towards poverty still exists in the Steel Valley, with Homestead showing
the highest percentage (45%) of households with annual incomes under $9,000. Two
Kids Cafes will not address all the needs of hungry children in Allegheny
County. Many more such programs will be needed.
The experience gained through these two projects can be shared with agencies and
groups through Rainbow Kitchen Community Services" "How To"
manual entitled, Kids Cafe; A Guide to Developing a Children's Meal Program.