Many thanks to our awesome donors, partners & supporters!

KIDZ SUMMER LUNCHBOX 2018

2018 Champions ($2500 +)

• Cox of Kansas Community Investment
• First Christian Church Foundation
• George Trimble Special Needs Charitable Fund
• United Way of El Dorado

 2018 Patrons ($1000 + )

• El Dorado Charities Auxiliary
• Kansas Health Foundation Fund – El Dorado
• Peter & Judie Storandt

2018 Advocates ($500 + )

• Butler Rural Electric Coop – Operation Round Up
• Dillon Stores Contribution Committee
• El Dorado Building Systems
• First Christian Church, Christian Women’s Fellowship
• Kids FUNd, Central KS Community Foundation
• K.T. Wiedemann Children’s Fund of Butler County
• Reaching Out From Within, EDCF Inmates
• Sophia Berman Molk Foundation
• Walmart of El Dorado

2018 Promoters ($250 + )

• First Baptist Church, Backpack Ministry 
• Grace Lutheran Church, Care Committee

2018 Supporters ($100 + )

• Carlson-Kirby Morris Funeral Home
• Casey’s General Stores
• Crazy Quilters Guild
• Emprise Bank, El Dorado
• First Presbyterian Church
• Kendra Wilkinson
• Kurt & Michelle Spivey
• Lynn & Karen McBride
• Sherry L. Clymer
• Soroptimist of El Dorado
• Stanfield Roofing

2018 IN KIND DONATIONS

• 4Imprint.com
• Alpha Delta Kappa of Butler County
• AmeriGroup
• BG Products
• Butler Community College
• Charley’s Appliances
• Commerce Bank
• El Dorado Parks & Recreation
• El Dorado Chamber of Commerce
• El Dorado Correctional Facility
• Family Worship Center, El Dorado
• First Baptist Church
• First Christian Church
• First Presbyterian Church
• GIV Warehouse
• Mark & Beverly Somerville
• Mears Fertilizer
• Soroptimist El Dorado
• Sunlight Children’s Advocacy & Rights Foundation  (SCARF)
• Trinity United Methodist Church
• United Way of El Dorado
• USD 490, El Dorado Schools
• YMCA – El Dorado
  

 

 

Free Summer Meals continue through August 10 in El Dorado

Kidz Summer LunchBox provides free healthy lunches weekdays at 7 meal sites in El Dorado. The last day is Friday, August 10. Prize drawings for bicycles take place later that day.

The GLOW Bus – a green school bus converted into a mobile lunchroom – takes lunches to six locations. After eating lunch on the Bus, kids are offered take home foods – including weekend backpacks on Fridays. Diapers also are available for children who eat.

In addition to six Bus stops, kids may eat in a traditional lunch room at the Family Worship Center (FWC), 11:30 am – 12:30 pm. Parents, foster parents and other caretakers are welcome to eat lunch with the children they bring.

Wednesday is Free Book Day at Bus Stops – Mondays at the FWC. Spangles lunches are on the menu on Tuesdays.

GLOW Bus Stops

• 10:45 am – 11:15 am: Silverwood Apts.
• 11:30 am – noon:       Skelly Elem. School (west side on S. Arthur St.)
• 12:10 pm – 12:40 pm: Quail Ridge Apts.
• 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm:    Summit Park
• 1:45 pm – 2:15 pm:    Splash Park (North Main Park), on E. 8^th
• 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Forest Park (swimming pool), on W. 8^th

For more information visit KN2E.org, or call 316-833-9959.

 

Kids eat a free Lunch at summer meal sites in El Dorado!

Lunch tickets are given to kids each day – the tickets go into a drawing for prizes this summer.

• July 20:  3 gift certificate winners ($25, $20 & $15).
• August 10: two winners get a bicycle appropriate for their age ($100 maximum value with helmet).

• Monday is Parents Day – they may eat with their kids. 
• Monday also is Free Book Day.
• Spangles Tuesdays – kids eat a sandwich from Spangles.
• Fridays kids offered a weekend foodpack to take home.

Kidz LunchBox Kickoff Celebration

Kids Need to Eat (KN2E) invites families with kids ages 18 and under in El Dorado to enjoy a fun family-friendly LunchBox Kickoff!

• What:  Kidz Summer LunchBox 2018 – Kickoff Celebration
• When:  Saturday, June 30, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
• Where:  Family Worship Center, 701 S. Atchison

Come join us to enjoy the following!

• Free lunch
• Inflatable Obstacle Race Course
• D.J. with music and a sing along
• Food Fun activities – Tasting Tables, Nutrition Trivia, and a “Grocery Bag Walk”
• For preschoolers: water games, mini obstacle course, and crafts.
• Outdoor activities and games
• Ice Cream
• Face Painting
• Tour our GLOW Box
• Prizes
• Take Home Items
• Summer Safety resources

QUESTIONS?

• Call or text 316-833-9959

 

 

Volunteers needed to feed kids this summer!

Looking for something meaningful and fun to do this summer? Maybe something you could do with your children or grandchildren – or with your church group, civic group, co-workers, family and friends?

Kidz LunchBox 2018 needs volunteers to help feed kids this summer – to replace meals many kids eat for free at school. Children ages 1 – 18 are invited to enjoy a lunch with us at 7 meal sides, and then take home breakfast and snack foods. On Fridays kids take home extra foods for the weekend.

The LunchBox 2018 will feed children weekdays for six weeks, July 2 – August 10, at seven meal sites in El Dorado (listed below):

• six served by the GLOW Bus, and
• a walk-in meal site at the Family Worship Center (FWC).

Volunteers can sign up on a one-time basis, or as frequently as their time and energy permit. Civic and social organizations, youth groups and clubs, and co-workers and others are welcome to volunteer together. Adult volunteers are encouraged to bring children and grandchildren ages 13 and older.

To submit a Volunteer Registration Form, CLICK HERE.  The deadline to apply is June 16.

NEW THIS SUMMER!!

Kidz LunchBox 2018 Kickoff Celebration —–   A free family-fun day to publicize Kidz LunchBox meal sites, and to share ways to have a safe and successful summer (eat smart, move more & avoid danger).

FRESH MEALS MONDAYS

To add variety to the shelf-stable meals served Tuesday – Friday, kids will enjoy fresh foods for lunch on Mondays – including fresh fruit (e.g., a bag of grapes), fresh veggies (e.g., sliced cucumbers), and a fresh sub sandwich or wrap with meat and cheese.

• We need volunteers to help prepare the lunches on Monday mornings (9:30 am – 11:30 am) at the Family Worship Center.

QUESTIONS?

Call or text Judie at 405-308-9158, connect with us on Facebook – “Kids Need 2 Eat” and “Kidz LunchBox.”

MEAL SITES

Meal site	Volunteer shift	Food service
Silverwood Apts.  [GLOW Bus stop]	10:55 – 11:15 am	10:30 – 11:30 am
Skelly Elem. School [GLOW Bus stop]	11:15 am – 12:15 pm	11:30am – noon
Family Worship Center [walk in meal site]	11:15 am – 12:45 pm	11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Quail Ridge Apts. [GLOW Bus stop]	noon – 12:55 pm	12:10 – 12:40 pm
Summit Park [GLOW Bus stop]	12:45 – 1:45 pm	1:00 – 1:30 pm
Water Park (North Main Park) [GLOW Bus]	1:30 – 2:30 pm	1:45 – 2:15 pm
Forest Park (swimming pool) [GLOW Bus]	2:15 – 3:15 pm	2:30 – 3:00 pm

VISTA Summer Positions

KN2E has two 35-hours a week opportunities in El Dorado for HS graduates. These positions are ideal for those ages 18-24 looking for summer employment. Benefits include a living stipend and education award. The deadline to apply is May 7 has been extended to May 10.

VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) – the domestic equivalent to the Peace Corps – is a national service program sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service to combat poverty in America.

• VISTA flyer – KN2E job opportunities

The summer VISTA program is an opportunity to work for 10 weeks at meal sites offering free meals for children during the summer. This summer, KN2E is sponsoring two VISTA positions:

• VISTA LunchBox Operations Coordinator (position description)
• VISTA Mobile LunchBox Coordinator (position description)

In exchange for their commitment to serve full time for a defined period of time, AmeriCorps gives each VISTA a daily living allowance (total of 70 days for the summer 10-weeks program). In addition, after completing their service, VISTAs have the option of receiving a $1,250 Education Award. A weekly Gas Allowance is available to drive to our El Dorado work sites.

Information about the VISTA program and how to apply to be a VISTA is online: https://www.vistacampus.gov/how-apply-americorps-vista.

The KN2E VISTA positions are 7-hour shifts weekdays. VISTAs filling these positions are allowed to have other time part employment that doesn’t interfere with their VISTA responsibilities.

Activity descriptions for the KN2E VISTA positions are on the AmeriCorps portal: my.americorps.gov. 

Interested individuals are encouraged to contact WSU for more information:

• Meeka Gentry, VISTA Leader, WSU Community Engagement Institute, 316-978-6502, 316-779-4049 (cell), meeka.gentry@wichita.edu

The deadline to apply now is May 10. Applicants must be at least 18 years old by June 1, 2018 to be eligible, and have a H.S. diploma o GED.

 

Kidz Summer LunchBox 2018: What’s New?

Kidz Summer LunchBox invites children ages 1 – 18 to eat lunch with us, and then take additional foods home – weekdays, July 2 – August 10 (closed on July 4th) at 7 meal sites in El Dorado, including 6 GLOW Bus stops, and a walk-in meal site at the Family Worship Center.    FLYER    POSTER

GLOW Bus	Silverwood Apts.  (north side, W. Enterprise Ave.)	10:45 am	11:15 am
GLOW Bus	Skelly Elem. School  (west side of school)	11:30 am	noon
Walk In site	Family Worship Center  (701 S. Atchison St.)	11:30 am	12:30 pm
GLOW Bus	Quail Ridge Apts (north side on W. Clark Ave.)	12:10 pm	12:40 pm
GLOW Bus	Summit Park (east side on N. High Street)	1:00 pm	1:30 pm
GLOW Bus	Water Park @ N. Main (on E. 8th Ave.)	1:45 pm	2:15 pm
GLOW Bus	Forest Park / Swimming Pool (on W. 8th Ave.)	2:30 pm	3:00 pm

We are hosting our first annual Kidz LunchBox Kickoff Celebration on Saturday, June 30, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at the Family Worship Center. This is a free family-friendly event offering a nutritious lunch, activities, games, entertainment, and prizes.

The theme is “Having a Healthy Summer” by eating smart, moving more, and focusing on wellness. Kids earn raffle tickets by engaging in experiences relating to those themes, such as food tasting tables, physical activity stations, and nutrition and wellness booths. The raffle tickets they earn can be used to enter prize drawings.

 

Showing our love for Kidz LunchBox Fans & Friends

It’s February, which means Valentine’s Day is reminding us to celebrate love – and to specially recognize those who we love, admire, and appreciate.

• First of all, we want to show our love for all the amazing, hardworking volunteers who make Kidz LunchBox possible each summer. This year is our 6th summer providing free meals for children in our community. We couldn’t do it without you!  Please click on the “2017 Volunteers” button above to see their names.  
• Also we want to take a moment to again show our love for the many awesome donors who provide the funding for the meals and costs of operating KN2E. Please click on the “Donors” button above to see who sponsored Kidz LunchBox 2017. Soon we will be updating this page to recognize donors supporting Kidz LunchBox 2018.

We love the children. We love their families. We love everyone who understands the importance of good nutrition for the healthy development of children, and supports summer meal programs!

Childhood poverty – survey results released!

Last month KN2E circulated a one-question poverty survey:

POVERTY SURVEY QUESTION What is your understanding about why one in five children in our community live with food insecurity due to poverty*? [*Poverty is defined as not having sufficient resources for basic necessities such as shelter, utilities, adequate healthy food, and clothing.] (You may provide up to 5 responses.)

We summarized the 140 responses from 37 individuals, grouping them into the following nine categories:

• Employment challenges
• Financial issues 
• Education barriers
• Character flaws
• Generational poverty
• Other barriers
• Safety net issues
• Substance use challenges
• Issues specific to El Dorado, KS

The summary listing all 140 responses is available to read and print:  Poverty Survey Response by Categories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Employment challenges.
	Education barriers to income needed to support a family.
		Character flaws
			Financial barriers

Kidz LunchBox 2017 volunteers recognized

Kidz LunchBox couldn’t feed kids in the summer without dedicated and loyal volunteers! Some may only help for a shift or two, while others come weekly and more often. All were needed and appreciated.

• In 2017, we were blessed with over 100 volunteers of all ages helping at ten LunchBox meal sites and on the GLOW Bus: CLICK HERE FOR LIST
  
• Volunteers donated some 1500 hours preparing for the LunchBox, supporting daily operations for six weeks, and putting things away until next summer.
• Several volunteers came to fulfill community service hours needed for the National Honors Society and the Andover e-Academy.
• Volunteers also came from the Foster Grandparent Program at the Butler County Dept. on Aging, Flinthills Services, and local church groups.