What is Altoona Kids Cafe?
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What is Altoona Kids Cafe? Altoona Kids Cafe is more than just a meal. Each day we offer a variety of fun learning opportunities, enrichment, and a healthy lunch. Our goal is to feed the mind, body and spirit of those who need it the most. We understand the importance of relationships and the power of personal connections. Kids Cafe is a program run by Swerve Outreach. Our mission is to inspire and guide young people to reach their full potential. With a focus on healthy living, academic achievement, and life skills, we are feeding the future. We know that by teaching important values such as respect, integrity, compassion, and grace, that we are impacting young lives and strengthening our community. We operate year around. In collaboration with our community, we are helping to provide children with their basic needs, so that they might have a brighter future.

Kids Cafe 2015 Strong boys with books

Altoona Kids Cafe is an official Summer Food Service Program sponsored by the USDA, that provides lunches to children during summer break. We are a group of volunteers who recognize the effects of food insecurity and hunger within our community and are working to change things for the better. Altoona Kids Cafe has partners with Caring Hands Outreach, Southeast Polk Schools, Lutheran Church of the Cross, local churches, business and Awesome Community Volunteers to organize a summer lunch program for children in the Greater Altoona area. In 2015, Kids Cafe served 4, 230 meals. Those meals were provided to all children 18 and under, who attended the program, at no cost to them.

Kids Cafe 2015 Girl with Spaghetti

Presently, we are the only SFSP within our community that provide lunches for children over summer break. We feel very strongly as mothers and community members, that food insecurity affects us all. In a town as fortunate and blessed as Altoona, no child should go hungry. 

Altoona Kids Cafe is more than just a meal. We operate year round, partnering with SE Polk Schools, local businesses and volunteers, to provide students in need of assistance with backpacks and school supplies, coats, boots and other essentials. In 2015, we supplied over 300 students with their back to school essentials. During the winter months of 2015, we collaborated with Altoona Elementary PTA to help to provide coats, boots, and other needed winter items for almost 400 SE Polk students.  Kids Cafe is helping to provide children with their basic needs, so that they might have a brighter future—they are impacting young lives and strengthening our community.

Last Day Group Pic

We are hopeful that you will share in our vision. We are asking residents, leaders, and businesses of Altoona to share in our passion and partner with us to help display the power of community to the young people who need us the most.  We believe that together, we can make a difference.

Will you help us feed kids?

Kids Cafe 2015 Preston lunch

March 30, 2014 Read More