A healthy meal today could mean a brighter future tomorrow for food-insecure children.
After school each weekday, students can sit down to a full, healthy meal at the West Nashville Dream Center.
Darah Kerpka runs the Kids Cafe program at the center, supported by a partnership between Preston-Taylor Ministries and Second Harvest.
She said it’s been wonderful to see how good nutrition affects kids’ well-being.
“A lot of times, especially in the classroom, I notice such a behavior difference when a child has eaten versus when they haven’t,” she said.
The West Nashville Dream Center provides tutoring, counseling, exercise with a personal trainer, cooking classes, and one-on-one time with mentors who help the children set goals and identify dreams for the future. Having a balanced meal means kids can concentrate on the center’s other important programs.
“It’s such a joy to be able to provide a meal”
Before partnering with Second Harvest and gaining access to the resources you help provide, Darah said the center could only give the kids a small snack. She knows some children would go to bed hungry if it weren’t for the evening meal the Center now offers. It gives her peace of mind to be able to feed the kids.
“It’s such a joy to be able to provide a meal,” Darah said.
Many of the kids she serves are independent and look after themselves and their siblings while their parents are at work. Your gifts give them the fuel they need to focus, do well in school, and learn how to break the cycle of poverty in the future.
