Donations decline as need soars for children who rely on food to tide them over until morning.
The elementary kids crowd around the table in the late afternoon to snack on string cheese and juice. Later, they’ll eat a taco and corn dinner at this Capitol West Boys & Girls Club in Salt Lake City.
With nearly all of them living at or below poverty-level incomes, most of these children don’t eat food at home. The dinners are provided through the Utah Food Bank’s Kids Cafe program, which feeds hot meals to children at 29 locations up to five days a week.
And while the food bank also offers food for snacks, it’s harder for this club and others to rely on the program because donations of dry goods to the food bank have dropped. The clubs hope to feed children fresh fruit and vegetables and other low-sugar, low-fat treats as part of their new five-year plan to help club members maintain a healthy weight. Salt Lake Tribune
