55,864 free meals to children πŸŽ‰

25% more than 2024!

Final numbers are in for F4K's 13th season ... Wow! πŸ™Œ

πŸ“Š By the Numbers

  • 22 meal sites (Harwich to Provincetown)
  • 49 service days (June 23 – Aug 29)
  • 61,423 meals delivered (+19% from 2024)
  • 24,552 lunches eaten (of 28,112 made)
  • Record Days:
  • 858 lunches made on July 9
  • 716 unique kids served on July 16
  • 600+ kids served on 20 days (vs. 1 day in 2024)
  • Waste down to 7% (from 12% historically)

Success stories

  • Increased awareness across our service area with five new, and one repeat, community outreach events in Spring 2025 which helped us recruit 60 new volunteers! And 2 of these were fundraising events, generating nearly $12,000.
  • Reached more low-income children with 2 new sites at affordable housing locations, 4 new convenient locations, and 10 more accessible Grab & Go sites.
  • Served meals kids loved, adding fresh fruit + vegetables in place of juice at lunch.
  • Handled the increase in complexity and scale thanks to experienced managers, loyal volunteers, and reliable seasonal staff all of whom jumped in where needed and put in a lot of extra hours.
  • Kids loved the special programming including 3,500 free books, 3 poetry and rap programs by local author GPa Rhymes, 3 cooking/nutrition classes by the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, and 4 live performances by the Harwich Junior Players.
  • Successful pilot of using 3 hydroponic farming units at Eddy and Eastham Elementary Schools for fresh lettuce β€” we plan to expand in 2026.

Thanks to YOU, all this was possible.

Challenges

  • Capacity to make, pack and deliver meals; Kitchen Volunteers worked longer and harder, Chock full freezers and refrigerators, Food temping issues
  • Cash flow β€” food and staff costs way higher paired with slow income flow
  • Deficit budgets unsustainable; New funding sources slow to start, Unknown impact of federal funding cuts coming in 2026-2028, Income has not kept up with the cost of hiring of an Executive Director.

The Food 4 Kids Board and The Church of the Holy Spirit has deep appreciation for all you do to help us support local kids in our community.


Please consider setting aside some of your planned end-of-year giving for Food K Kids. We will be running a year-end fundraising campaign this Fall as we strategize how to sustain our new service levels.

ο»ΏOur Mission:

Food 4 Kids works to alleviate childhood hunger ο»Ώand promote literacy on the Lower and Outer Cape by bringing together The Church of the Holy Spirit (Episcopal) and local communities to provide free meals and free books for children and teens ο»Ώin the summer when schools are out.

This institution is an affirmative action / equal opportunity provider

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