Berea Kids Eat kicks off summer with free meals and fun fctivities

May 29—Berea Kids Eat has been feeding local kids for free since 2016, and that's how the nonprofit started the season on Wednesday at its summer kick-off party at Glades Garden in Berea.

Kids were treated to live animals, like opossums and goats, free food from Bert's Speakcheezy, screen printing, and outdoor play, courtesy of Berea Kids Eat.

Site Supervisor Lara Armstrong has taken on the responsibility of managing the Berea-based operation, which will see the same collaboration and fun that it has in previous years as well as some new changes.

According to Armstrong, who has spent 4 summers with Berea Kids Eat in other positions, the organization will continue to work in tandem with other community resources to feed children and enrich families.

This can be a big job, as data from Feeding America states that 13,790 Madison Countians were food insecure in 2022.

In the past, the organization's endeavors have included the Youth Farmers Market, ongoing educational programming, and even pop-up art workshops. It is also common to see booths from local community organizations and establishments, like the Madison County Library.

"We're working in tandem with each other to make sure that those kids in those families have that food, know how to prepare it, and it doesn't go to waste, and gets utilized," she commented.

However, Armstrong had insight into another reason to be forward-facing to the community.

"As somebody who utilized Food Banks and a summer food service program, as a child...it's scary. It's scary sometimes to go someplace that you don't know, you've never been, but if you come to something that you are familiar with, and you meet those people... I think it's a lot easier to bridge the connection of feeling more comfortable and safe going to those places," she explained.

Armstrong emphasized the need to "keep their (kids') brains moving" as part of building healthy people.

While that is an important aspect, she also expressed that hunger and nutrition are both crucial baseline needs to be met, which is why it is important to have events that work for the entire family.

"I have always been passionate about health and health education," she said. "I've thought that you have to start with children while also teaching their grown-ups. Nutrition, I think, is at the forefront. If you don't have food in your bellies, you're not going to care about other aspects of health... There are things that you have to meet before you can keep going up the ladder of health."

To enhance local accessibility, Berea Kids Eat will be using mobile routes to get food to local children, going back to the origins of the Berea Kids Eat initiative.

"So when Martina (Leforce) started the program, that's really what it was —mobile routes...And then the pandemic hit and we executed our COVID response — bulk meals, family meal kits, that kind of thing. Last summer was like building from the ground up again, figuring out how to respond after COVID. So last year, I was really passionate about doing a mobile route and planning for that this year," explained Armstrong.

This summer, there will be two different mobile routes, including one that will utilize the Magic Wellness Bus, which is a partnership with Berea Community Schools that will provide wellness resources as well as food. The other route will be completed via minivan and will run through the city near the skate park and the Berea Pool.

Armstrong displayed optimism for the summer, saying, "We've got a really strong student team this year again. I'm just really excited to have the opportunity to kind of step into some really big shoes and help make sure the summer goes really well."

Raphael Slack, a sophomore with Berea College CELTS, says that working with Berea Kids Eat this summer will give him a leg-up in his quest to bring his own pediatric practice to his home in Nigeria.

"I'm really trying to get something on my resume for my future career as a pediatrician, and also, I'm trying to get a deeper understanding of food insecurity around the world," he said.

The scholar also said that he is most excited to meet new people.

"I am excited to meet new personalities, both kids and adults. I'm also excited to learn about new perspectives on how food is interpreted around Berea and Richmond," he said.

Do you want to see what the fuss is about? Here's the schedule.

These routes will be completed on the following schedule:

ROUTE 1: BUS

The Magic Wellness Bus will deliver lunch with the following morning's breakfast on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, beginning on May 29th, 2024.

The drop-off locations and times are as follows:

—Pinnacle View Drive (9:45 — 10:15 AM)

—Silver Creek Place Apartments (10:30 — 11:00 AM)

—Shamrock Estates (11:15 — 11:45 AM)

—Grace Community Church (12:00-12:30 PM)

—Morgan Street (12:45-1:15 PM) —Glades Christian Church (1:45-3:00 PM)

ROUTE 2: VAN

The mobile van route will deliver lunch on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, beginning on June 4th, 2024 The van will only deliver lunches for that day. The drop-off locations and times are as follows:

—EcoVillage Playground (11:15-11:45)

—Berea Skate Park (12:00-12:30)

—Berea Public Pool (12:45 — 2:15)

Neither route will serve meals on Juneteenth (June 19) or on July 4.

The site supervisor also expressed that anyone and everyone is welcome to come to Glades Garden, located at 530 Glades Road, in Berea for lunch on those days, from 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m.