Kidz Summer LunchBox 2020 continues thru August 7.

By Deanna Bonn/Times-Gazette Posted Jul 2, 2020 at 1:45 PM

The Glow Bus dining room may be empty, but meals are still being served this summer through the Kids Need to Eat program. Kids Need To Eat, Inc. (KN2E) is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit with no paid staff.

KN2E was founded in 2013 to address the problem of many families being unable to provide nutritionally for their children in the summer when school is out and they don’t have access to meals at school.

This is the fourth year Mark Somerville has been the driver for Kids Need To Eat GLOW Bus. The GLOW Bus [Green Lunchroom on Wheels] takes free meals to Kidz LunchBox meal sites. In addition to free food, the LunchBox offers a range of enrichment activities to help kids have a developmentally productive summer.

Kids Need To Eat, Inc. is a summer lunchbox program for area children ages 1-18 Volunteer and Site Leader at First Methodist Church, Liberty Peterson said, this is her first year to volunteer with the organization and meal service began on June 1st.

Meals continue to be served Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through August 7th, with meal sites located at Blackmore Elementary, El Dorado High School, Skelly Elementary and First Methodist Church from 11:30 a.m. to 1 o.m. and at the Quail Ridge Apartments from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Source: https://www.butlercountytimesgazette.com/news/20200702/lunchbox-program-active

Free Summer Meals for Kids 2020

All children ages 1 – 18 are invited to pick up free meals now through August 7, 2020.

Summer Job Opportunities for Teens

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF MEAL SITES – LOCATIONS & TIMES

Summer internships for college undergrads pay $5400

Kids Need 2 Eat is excited to announce two Youth Ambassador internships this summer at its Kidz Summer LunchBox program.

These positions pay $5400 for working full time (36 hours a week) for ten weeks, June 1 – August 7.

Applicants need to be enrolled in a post-secondary college program, but don’t need to be full time students. Eligible applicants include  seniors graduating from H.S who have been accepted to start college classes in August or September.

To learn more about Kids Need 2 Eat and its Kidz Summer LunchBox program:

• visit its website: KN2E.org, and
  
• connect with it on Facebook: “Kids Need 2 Eat“

KN2E Celebrates 8 Years of Feeding Children!

Eight years ago on Feb. 17, 2013, Kids Need 2 Eat was launched by Peter and Judie Storandt, Shelley Shipman, and Sarah Johnston, MD, as a Kansas nonprofit. Subsequently the IRS granted it 501(c)(3) status.

KN2E is best known for its Kidz Summer LunchBox program, which provides free meals for children during the summer – to replace meals many eat for free at school.

Our GLOW Bus [Green Lunchroom on Wheels] takes free meals to Kidz LunchBox meal sites. In addition to free food, the LunchBox offers a range of enrichment activities to help kids have a developmentally productive summer – so help them return to school more ready to learn.

The GLOW Bus takes free meals to where children live and play.

Donations are needed for Kidz LunchBox 2020. Please help celebrate its anniversary by making a donation. Here’s some ways you may consider helping.

• $20 buys four (4 @$5/each) weekend foodpacks filled with meals for kids to take home on Fridays. $100 covers the cost of 20 weekend foodpacks.
• $25 buys a box of diapers to be given away to parents who bring kids to eat who wear diapers. We anticipate needing at least 4 boxes in difference sizes.
• $50 helps pay for enrichment activities ranging from Play Dough and other crafts to outdoor activities such as jump ropes, hula hoops, Frisbees, etc.
• $65 covers the cost for a week of free lunches for parents, foster parents, and other caretakers to eat lunch with the children they bring to eat at a LunchBox meal site.
• $75 pays for one-week of diesel fuel for the GLOW Bus. $400 keeps fuel in the BUS for the whole summer.
• $80 pays for a 50-punch pool pass – so kids can swim for free after eating lunch with us on the GLOW Bus Forest Park / the local swimming pool. We anticipate needing at least four of them.
• $70 helps covers for one day the stipends paid to youth who volunteer in connection at the LunchBox through our Teen Cash Stipend Program. For most of therm, this is their first job, and an opportunity to practice important workplace skills.
• $345 supports a whole week of teen stipends. (@ $3.00/hour).
• $100 buys extra foods (soups, cereal, fresh produce, snack bars, etc.) for kids to take home after eating lunch on the GLOW Bus.

Your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. Every little bit helps.

Thank you for helping to celebrate our 8th anniversary of feeding our future!

Fall newsletter recaps Kidz LunchBox 2019!

Kids Need To Eat recently released a summary in words and pictures of a successful summer serving free lunches and other foods for children in our community.

Read all about it in our Fall Newsletter: CLICK HERE.

Invitation to Join KN2E’s Board

Individuals interested in joining the Kids Need To Eat, Inc. (KN2E) board of directors are encouraged to attend the next board meeting.

          What:    KN2E Board Meeting

          When:   Thursday, September 5, 2019

          Time:     4:00 – 5:30 pm

           Where:  El Dorado Civic Center, 201 E. Central Ave.

          Agenda:  Debriefing Kidz Summer LunchBox 2019, and planning the LunchBox 2020.

KN2E’s Board meets about 5 – 6 times each year to organize the LunchBox program. Meetings typically are held in September, November, January, March, and April or May.

In addition to attending meetings, members occasionally communicate by email between meetings.

KN2E is an all-volunteer program with no paid staff. It’s signature program is Kidz Summer LunchBox. During July and early August, our GLOW Bus (“Green LunchRoom on Wheels”) takes free meals to meal sites located where kids live and play.

All children (ages 19 and under) are invited to eat a free lunch on the GLOW Bus, and are then offered additional foods to take home – including a weekend backpack on Fridays.

In addition, KN2E weekend backpack initiative provides backpacks for USD 490 and other school districts to distribute during June and also the first weeks after school starts in mid-August.

For more information, contact KN2E’s president Judie Storandt by email (jgstorandt@msn.com) or by phone or text (405-308-9158).

KN2E is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To read our recent newsletter: CLICK HERE

Food and Fun at GLOW Bus Meal Sites

Details announced regarding meals and activities at GLOW Bus meal sites.

Starting July 8, kids ages 1 – 18 are invited to eat a free lunch on the GLOW Bus [Green Lunchroom on Wheels] at four meal sites weekdays through Friday August 9.

Alternatively, kids can eat lunch at the Wildcat Cafe sponsored by USD 490 and OPAA! Food Service at Blackmore Elementary School, noon – 1:00 pm weekdays through Friday, August 2.

FOOD VARIETIES

New lunch varieties on the GLOW Bus this summer include sub sandwiches from Subway Restaurant – ham & cheese subs on Mondays, and turkey & cheese subs on Thursdays. On Tuesdays, lunch is a pulled pork sandwich on a bun from Hog Wild BBQ Pit. LockerMate lunches are served on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Mondays – Thursdays kids who have eaten lunch on the GLOW Bus are offered take home foods including fresh fruit and/or veggies, breakfast items, and snacks. Fridays children may take home a weekend backpack after eating lunch.

FUN ACTIVITIES

After eating lunch, kids are encouraged to stay for a variety of activities offered Mondays – Thursdays at meal sites.

At Silverwood Apts. (SW) and Quail Ridge Apts (QR) activities include:

• hippity  hop balls
• Gaga Ball
• various toss and target games
• Food Fun Tuesdays (hosted by Butler County Extension Office)
• Free book days and storytimes
• craft days
• free-play theme days: trucks & cars, dinosaurs, play dough
• Bingo and Guessing games – prizes include one-day swim passes at the City Pool
• water play days
• and much more!

At the Performing Acts Center (PAC), 500 W. Central, music appreciation days feature local talent.  Outdoors games will be offered at the playground across the street. Craft days, books days, etc. will be offered under canopies on the east side of the building.

At Forest Park the city swimming pool is the main activity. On Wednesdays kids who eat lunch on the bus are invited to swim for free using a punch on our pool pass.

Questions?  Contact Judie by phone or text (405-308-9158) or email (KN2E@msn.com).

Anyone who would like to host an activity, including groups of co-workers and others, are welcomed to contact us to volunteer.

2019 Summer Food Options for Kids

All children are invited to eat free lunches this summer at meal sites supported by the national Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) administered by the Kansas Dept. of Education.

No registration is required for SFSP meal sites, and lunches are eaten on site. Anyone ages 1 – 18 are welcome to come eat lunch for free.

The Wildcat Cafe is a new summer meal site for kids sponsored by USD 490 and OPAA! Food Services at Blackmore Elementary School, 530 N. Orchard. Free lunches are served weekdays (Monday – Friday), noon – 1:00 pm, June 3 – August 2.

Details are available online – http://www.ElDoradoSchools.org  – or by contacting the office at any of its schools.

Kidz Summer LunchBox meal sites are sponsored by Kids Need To Eat (KN2E) weekdays, July 8 – August 9. At four meal sites in El Dorado, kids eat lunch on the GLOW (“Green LunchRoom on Wheels”) Bus, and may take home additional foods afterwards.

See www.KN2E.org for details about the four GLOW Bus stops:

• 11:00 – 11:45 am, Silverwood Apts
• noon – 12:45 pm, Performing Arts Center parking lot (500 W. Central Ave.)
• 1:00 – 1:45 pm, Quail Ridge Apts
• 2:00 – 2:45 pm, Forest Park / City Swimming Pool

These institutions are equal opportunity providers.

In addition, USD 490’s popular summer academy has a new name – Camp Pride – and new location at Blackmore Elementary School, 530 N. Orchard. For USD 490 students currently enrolled in grades K-11, campers are assigned to a group cabin to explore fun activities.

Camp Pride is Monday – Thursday during June, 8:00 am – noon. Free transportation is available, and campers enjoy a free breakfast and lunch each day.

 

3 Easy Ways to Help Feed Hungry Kids in our Community!

Many thanks to the donors, volunteers, and other supporters who helped Kidz LunchBox 2018 provide almost 9000 meals to kids this summer – and also donate over 1200 weekend backpacks to schools in Butler County, to fill gaps in the KS Food Bank’s Food4Kids program (which only operates during the school year).

We have already started planning Kidz LunchBox 2019. Here are some easy ways you could help KN2E raise the funding needed for next summer’s meals.

1. Dillons Food Stores CommunityRewards program – support a local charity every time you shop and use your Shopper’s Plus Card. 

• To enroll: visit dillons.com/communityrewards,
• sign into your online account or create an account, scroll down to find your location and click “Enroll Now”, then find and select our organization (“Kids Need To Eat”), or enter our number UB782.

2.  AmazonSmile Foundation. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service. 

• Start your shopping at http://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-1803529 or visit smile.amazon.com and search for Kids Need To Eat, Inc.
  
• Bookmark this link http://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-1803529, and AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of the purchase price when you shop online.
• Then ask others to bookmark this link so all their eligible shopping will benefit Kids Need To Eat, too.

3.  Make a cash donation to Kids Need To Eat (KN2E) online or by mailing a check. CLICK HERE for details.