Kids Café is a program operated by the Northeast Iowa Food Bank to provide nutritional evening meals to children at risk of hunger at nine sites in the Cedar Valley. They also include other educational programming and skill building with the youth. From July 2006 to February 2007, Kids Café has served over 7,214 snacks and 16,662 meals.

At one of the Kids Café sites, fresh apples and oranges were offered for snacks. One young participant asked if she could take home an orange for her mom. The staff said, "Sure, but let's make sure all the kids get a snack first." She then asked if she could take an orange home for her grandma. The staff replied the same. She proceeded to ask if she could take one home for a few other people in her family. The staff asked her if she ever has fresh fruit at home. The little girl said no, and that she really doesn't have that much food. There ended up being extra oranges and she was able to take a few home to her family to share. She was ecstatic.

An orange may not seem like a lot to us, but it meant the world to this little girl. Access to food and proper nutrition are vital to the development of children. Children who have three meals a day as well as food on the weekend do better in school. When they do better in school, they do better in life. And that helps build a stronger Cedar Valley.