Kids Cafe is a program of America’s Second Harvest.  America’s Second Harvest is a national network of nearly 200 regional food banks.  Kids Cafe is the nation’s largest after school meal service, providing free and prepared food and nutrition education to hungry children. 

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey currently has 10 Kids Cafes and growing in various cities in New Jersey.  The Kids Cafe program is intended to help children escape the cycle of poverty by giving agencies and/or social service charities nutritious meals to serve in exchange for an agreement from the agencies to act as safe-havens for the children.  The FoodBank partners with local afterschool programs that provide children with academic tutoring and a variety of recreational and educational activities under adult supervision during after school hours. 

Kids Cafe History
In Savannah, GA, in 1989, two young brothers were discovered late one night in the kitchen of their housing project's community center. When asked why they had broken in, the oldest replied "to feed myself and my little brother." In response, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Georgia started the
first Kids Cafe. In 1993, America's Second Harvest launched the national Kids Cafe program. There are currently more than 1,600 Kids Cafes in operation in the United States.

Provide nutritious meals to children in need.
The Community FoodBank provides the food items used in the preparation of nutritious meals, and also provides primary program support.

Supplement meals with nutrition education activities.
Our staff and nutritionist provides nutrition education to the children participating in the local Kids Cafe program.

Locate sites within easy access to children in need.
We will select programs interested in hosting Kids Cafe sites based on their current program curriculum and commitment to incorporate nutritious prepared meals into their program. We are in the process of developing new sites throughout the New Jersey area targeting locations close to schools with higher rates of at-risk children. Currently, we have Kids Cafes located in Essex, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties.

Click Here for a Kids Cafe Sample Menu