Kids' Cafe is to open in January, Michigan's first soup kitchen strictly for children, says Stephanie Kotrofi of Second Harvest, a Chicago-based nonprofit agency that serves 181 food banks nationwide.
The kitchen will offer help with homework, recreation and a warm meal.
"There are a lot of kids here in the Beecher (School) District that I know of personally who are going without evening meals and going to bed hungry," Verice Layton, program coordinator at the Salvation Army Beecher Corps, told The Flint Journal for an article yesterday.
"Kids wouldn't be as comfortable sitting in a regular soup kitchen because of the stereotypes they've heard about transients," she said.
"It might make them scared to be there. So we're going to put kids in a kids' environment and make it more fun for them."
The center where the cafe will be located already is used by youngsters for homework and recreation. Some children told the Journal they are excited about the new kitchen.
"Sometimes I don't want to leave when my grandma's friend comes to pick me up; I like it here," said Antogonie Leverette, 9, a fourth-grader at Harrow Elementary School. "I hope we can have pizza and macaroni and cheese for dinner. And I really, really like cupcakes."
Kids' Cafe will be among 40 nationwide, Kotrofi said. The Michigan cafe expects to serve about 50 to 100 children to age 18 each day.
Second Harvest launched Kids' Cafe in Savannah, Ga., in 1993. Since then, dozens have sprouted up across the country, Kotrofi said.
"Not everyone understands a food bank, but they understand hungry kids," she said.
William Kerr, chief executive officer of the food bank, said more could spring up within a year around Flint if the Mount Morris Township kitchen is successful.
Beecher officials said 80 percent to 85 percent of their students meet federal low-income requirements and qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches.
"A lot of children receive the school breakfast and lunch, but there's no dinner so they go all the way until morning without food," Kerr said.
Kids Cafe is using a $12,886 grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and contributions from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and the Salvation Army.
Salvation Army Envoy William Racely says he hopes the cafe will help strengthen families.
"We want to offer a well-balanced meal so we know these kids will have a supper time just like everybody else," he said.
"Parents are encouraged to bring their children here and volunteer with the meals. This is a program to bring families together, not keep them apart."