Kids Cafe Helps Feed Hungry Kids After School

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma has many programs to help feed chronically hungry children in Oklahoma. One of those is through the backpack program.

Through the backpack program, kids in need are given a blue backpack each week full of food to help get them through the weekend. But there's another program that also helps, the Kids Cafe.

Leo Alexander considers the Boys and Girls Club in Oklahoma City his home. He's attended afterschool programs here since he was six years old and now works here in the Kids Cafe.

"I had that someone for me who stayed and was my inspiration was my encouragement was my support and I really want to be that to some of our other kids," said Leo Alexander, a staff member at the Boys and Girls club.

The Kids Café is an afterschool program that provides mentoring, tutoring and a meal.

"Some of them aren't eating and I just really like to know that I'm giving them that meal that they're going to have and it's always going to be there for them," Alexander said.

The Regional Food Bank partners with schools and other organizations to provide the meals at 53 sites across Oklahoma.

"We try to make sure every child when they come through here that they come through, come and eat something because for many of them this is dinner," said A.J. Johnson with the Boys and Girls Club.

Last year, the program fed more than 261,238 meals to around 6,187 Oklahoma kids.

"It makes me feel really happy," said Alexander. "I love these kids and if I could provide everything in the world for them, I would."

A $100 donation provides a backpack of food for one child for an entire school year. For more information on how you can volunteer or donate, go to https://www.regionalfoodbank.org/ or you can also text FFK to 501501 to give $10 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.