Back in 2012 Minda learned that kids who are on the Federal Free Lunch program are often hungry throughout the weekend.  Minda wanted to put bags of food together so that they kids had food to eat over the weekend and would come back to school on Monday ready to learn so she reached out to Backman Elementary and asked if there was a need and indeed the need was there.  She started putting together 50 bags of food for kids to take home.  After realizing the need was great, Minda wanted to help a second school and also increase the number of bags per school, so she solicited help from local businesses and received enough funds to go from 50 kids to 250 kids.  Many of the kids who receive the food are refugees, homeless or living with relatives. In addition to the weekly bags, together with community, For The Kids have put together thousands of Thanksgiving meals and Holiday break food bags. 

Minda knew to continue sending out 250 bags each week and hopefully serve more kids that she would need to apply for grants, so she moved out of the closet she started in and found a small storage space and from there she founded For The Kids, an accredited 501C3. After receiving the accreditation and securing grants For The Kids increased their weekly delivery to 350.  The FTK family has grown to hundreds of volunteers and supporters. 

At an event a schoolteacher told this story: “At school a child was acting up and this is a child who was well behaved.  When I took him aside and tried to find out what was wrong, he said…. My little sitter ate an extra bowl of cereal this morning and that means we are short a breakfast this week and I am already hungry.”  The teacher was heartbroken.  Unfortunately, these situations among the children we serve are frequent and For The Kids believes in being hunger advocates for those in most need and to help cover basic needs so that these kids have one less thing to worry about. 

Never doubt what 1 bowl of cereal means to a child, 1 box of mac and cheese, a Thanksgiving side dish and even a granola bar.  You can make a difference! What makes For The Kids special is we understand that it takes a village and we have been able to continue our efforts because companies, churches, neighborhoods and individuals believe in what we are doing and become a part of the positive change we want to see in our communities.  Would you like to join us?  Each week 5,000 items of food leave our shelves, For The Kids is always look for food or monetary donations as well as volunteers, come join us and be a hunger advocate!