5 years, 43 selections, $3,356 in donations
Since August 2019, Cape Kid Meals has been selected to benefit from the Stop & Shop Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs 43 times at four different Stop & Shop locations. In total, the organization has received $3,356 in donations to continue providing nutritional support to children across Cape Cod.
Tell us about Cape Kid Meals.
Cape Kid Meals is dedicated to ending childhood hunger on Cape Cod. We work to establish a program in every school where there is a need to help ensure no school-aged child goes hungry.
In 2014, Cape Kid Meals was started by David Burns and Pastor David Johnson of Grace Church in East Dennis. They heard about children who were coming to school hungry after the weekend. They immediately started a weekend meal backpack program in their church basement to pack bags for two schools in the local public school system. Since then, the program has expanded from supporting 77 students in two schools to supporting over 1,800 students in 50 schools every week.
Since then, the program has expanded from supporting 77 students in two schools to supporting over 1,800 students in 50 schools every week.
What services do you provide to the community?
Our core service is providing weekend meal backpacks to kids facing hunger. We send nonperishable food home with students who may not have access to enough food during the weekend when school meals are not available. Volunteers pack these bags with ready-to-eat meals and snacks every week. Once the bags are delivered to the schools, administrators discreetly distribute them to students.
Our second initiative is offering school snacks. Our school partners have told us that children often show up to school without a snack. We provide school snacks for students to use both during the school day and for after-school activities. Each week, close to 800 students access snacks from the program.
Our newest initiative is school pantries, which are established within local high schools. The goal is to help older students facing hunger by offering them access to the food they prefer. Pantries can be accessed to take home food both during the week and on weekends.
How has Cape Kid Meals used the donations from the Stop & Shop Community Bag and Boomin’ 4 Good Programs to further its mission?
The funds we received from the Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs have significantly enhanced our weekend backpack and school pantry services. These donations help us provide essential food to students and families.
These donations help us provide essential food to students and families.
Tell us a story about a program, service, or initiative that the Stop & Shop Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs have supported.
One particularly impactful story shared with us involved a high school student who had been taking food from one of the pantries. He expressed to a school administrator, “You don’t know how much this program means to my family. We’ve been struggling, but this pantry allows me to bring food home and has made such a difference to us.”
Our partnership with Stop & Shop plays a vital role in enabling us to assist students like him.
Have you noticed any changes in community awareness or support since becoming involved in the Stop & Shop Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs?
Since partnering with Stop & Shop, we have certainly observed a positive shift in community awareness and support. This collaboration brings greater visibility to the issue of hunger within our community. Additionally, these Stop & Shop programs contribute to many local organizations that are dedicated to addressing this important cause.
This collaboration brings greater visibility to the issue of hunger within our community.
What advice would you give to other nonprofits participating in the Stop & Shop Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs?
Share information about the program as widely as possible using social media and with colleagues, connections, friends, and family. Let them know what they can do by going to Stop & Shop, where they normally shop, and purchasing a bag or flowers. Not only are they getting something they probably need or want, but they are giving back to an organization that is helping strengthen their community.
Interview with Tammy Leone, Executive Director