KILGORE, Texas — Too many kids risk going hungry over the summer while they are out of school and the East Texas Food Bank is helping fill that gap.
Inside the boys and girls club in Kilgore are kids playing games, watching a movie, and solving a puzzle. But one thing they look forward to is lunch time! And on the menu...
"Chocolate milk, juice, and a sandwich and an apple," said Narson, an attendee of the Boys and Girls Club in Kilgore.
Many East Texas summer programs for kids reach out to the East Texas Food Bank to see if they can get help from the summer feeding program.
The boys and girls club sees families from different walks of life such as families who live paycheck to paycheck.
"Parents may not be able to afford to get their kids lunches. So the fact that we’re able to provide them that from the East Texas food bank is pretty amazing," said Cameron Jackson, worker for the Boys and Girls Club.
Even at an young age, the kids here understand the hardships that families are going through right now.
"It makes it to where our parents don’t have to pay as much every single day if they’re low on money or something," said an attendee of the Boys and Girls Club.
The East Texas Food Bank is happy to see that their efforts are making a difference in the community.
"It’s so wonderful to come to a sight like this and see the children. They were all going for the apple," Rebecca Berkley, East Texas Food Bank Marketing & Communications Director said. "And to actually see them want the nutritious food and that’s what it’s all about, not just a number or statistic but seeing the faces here of the children."
And with a full stomach, the kids are free to enjoy their summer with really great food.
The East Texas Food Bank plans to serve about fifty thousand meals to children over the summer.
If you want more information on the locations of the Summer Food Program, you can visit, the East Texas Food Bank website by clicking HERE.