Welcome
At the end of the 2010 school term, the "Meals For Kids" prorgram was providing weekend food to more than 2,500 children in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma public schools. These students were chosen by their Counselors as being in need of weekend nourishment to hold them over until the breakfast and lunch programs provided at their schools. Most of these children come from single parent households where the breadwinner simply has a hard time providing the type of food needed by growing children. The Community Services Clearinghouse (based in Fort Smith, Arkansas) took on the responsibility of helping these children more than a decade ago, and the program continues to grow each year. We provide the students with take home foods that require no preparation, such as cereal boxes, juice boxes and pull-top, single serving foods. These foods are placed in the child's backpack by their teachers, so there is no stigma associated with receving the meals. At a cost of $3 per child per week, we must constantly find ways to fund "Meals For Kids." We live by a simple idea: No child should ever be hungry.
Recent News
6/7/2010 - Summer Meals For Kids program
The Clearilnghouse continues to face summers as our biggest challenge for the "Meals For Kids" program. Not only are the children hard to find when school ends, we are accustomed to using those months to 'stock up' before the start of the next year. It is obvious, however, that "Meals for Kids" needs to be a year-round program. We are holding new fund raisers, seeking grants and asking for donations to help us extend our program through the summer months. You may visit our Facebook page for updates on our events, or contact us with your own ideas. Thank you for your interest in our program.