Children’s Programs
Supporting our Youngest Neighbors
In Central Virginia, 1 in 6 children are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. That is why our Children’s Programs are dedicated to helping ensure our region’s kids and teens have the nourishment they need to learn, grow and thrive. From our School Market distributions and Feed More Freddie to our after-school and summer meals program and weekend BackPacks, we’re committed to getting healthy food into the hands, and homes, of kids experiencing food insecurity.
The Market Bus
What’s big green and on the road with food and love? Our new market bus, Feed More Freddie! Thanks to the steadfast support of our hunger-fighting partner, the McKesson Foundation, since April 2023, this retrofitted school bus has been delivering fresh fruits, veggies and more to kids and teens across our service area.
The bus, and all our Children’s Programs, are designed to increase food access to the 1 in 6 children in Central Virginia experiencing food insecurity. These programs help kids improve concentration, better manage stress and depression and increase academic performance.
By eliminating the barriers kids and teens face to accessing healthy food, this new service offering will make it much easier for young folks to receive the healthy foods they need to learn, grow and thrive.
Kids Cafe
With 1 in 6 kids in Central Virginia struggling with hunger, our Kids Cafe provides kids with meals made-from-scratch in our Community Kitchen and healthy snacks. This program provides the nutritional component to after-school programs that mentor and tutor children in our area and ensures students learn, grow and most importantly, thrive.
In order to receive meals, a site must be located in a school zone, whose free and reduced meal eligibility is greater than 50%, and a licensed nonprofit.
Click here to find the right Kids Cafe site for you, or contact us about becoming a Kids Cafe site!
School Market Program
When a child struggles with hunger, so does the whole family. The School Market Program works to fight hunger for the entire household. Our staff works closely with school administrators and community leaders to ensure a safe environment to serve our neighbors in need.
Our free, farmer’s market-style distributions are open to families who have a child attending the school where the distribution takes place.
This program is currently at select schools in the counties of Dinwiddie, Greensville, Halifax, Henrico and Mecklenburg, along with the cities of Hopewell and Petersburg.
For more information our School Market Program, please contact us.
Weekend BackPacks
When students leave school for the weekend, the last thing they should have to worry about is how they are going to get their next meal.
Our Weekend BackPack Program provides children who don’t have enough to eat with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food when other resources aren’t available.
The concept is simple: children at risk of hunger receive a bag of food that is child-friendly, nutritious and nonperishable. Partnering with local schools, Weekend BackPacks are distributed every Friday so that children have meals for when school is not in session.
If you are in need of food assistance, please complete our Hunger Hotline form or call 804-521-2500 ext. 631.
Summer Food Service Program
With thousands of kids and teens receiving free or reduced lunch, when school ends, so do these vital programs. Feed More’s Summer Food Service Program provides children and teens with healthy, reliable breakfast and lunch, free of charge, during the summer.
With sites across greater Richmond and the Tri-Cities where kids and teens 18 years and younger can receive free healthy meals, we remain committed to providing children with the nutritional building blocks they need to learn and grow all year long.
The Summer Food Service Program is open when schools are out for the summer. Check back in next summer to find a site near you!
Become a Summer Food Service Program Site
In order to be a Feed More Summer Food Service Program site, organizations must be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, please read our Summer Food Service Program site requirements.
We are currently accepting Summer Food Service Program sites. If your organization is interested in becoming a site, please reach out to our Children’s Program Manager.
If you, your family or someone you know is in need of emergency food assistance, please feel free to complete our Hunger Hotline form or call 804-521-2500 to get the help you need.