Agency Details:

Kids Food Basket

Kids Food Basket is a community-based volunteer organization that exists to attack childhood hunger in Grand Rapids by providing nutritionally at-risk children with a healthy sack supper.

Description:
The Kids Food Basket is an area hunger relief program that feeds Grand Rapids area Public Elementary School children a sack supper at dismissal time. The meal Kids Food Basket delivers provides an additional 1000 to 1200 calories to these under-nourished children's diets. Participating children have been pin-pointed by school administrators as being at high risk of not receiving an evening meal at home. At the end of the 2009 school year, this program was providing a nourishing meal to over 1,700 children each school day. During the summer children will be provided the meal through the Grand Rapids Recreation Program.

History:
The Kids Food Basket became a reality when Mary Ann Prisichenko, principal of Straight Elementary School, voiced that children at her school and at two other area schools were going home and not being fed an adequate supper. For two years, Mary Ann, had been looking for a group to help with this basic problem. A handful of volunteers began to feed 120 children during the week of Thanksgiving 2001. Since then, Kids Food Basket has worked tirelessly through community organizations, education and direct assistance to attack hunger in the most effective ways possible.

Contact people:

Cheryl Schuch, Volunteer Manager, (phone), (email) Jane Berkey, Operations Manager, (phone), (email) Austin Roelofs, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (616) 454-9387

Address:

1203 Butterworth SW Grand Rapids, MI 49504 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.kidsfoodbasket.org

Directions:

Corner of Garfield and Butterworth. Take Fulton Street west to Garfield. Turn left (south). Travel several blocks to Butterworth. Park in the back lot.   Nearest Bus Stop: Garfield and Fulton, 5-10 minute walk

Last updated on October 1, 2009