What we do

One in four Michigan children goes hungry every day, and Kids’ Food Basket is working to change that. We attack childhood hunger by providing nutritious evening meals to kids and engaging our community through volunteering and education.

Kids’ Food Basket is the only organization in greater Grand Rapids focused solely on childhood hunger. We work to end it using an approach that:

• Serves kids directly. During the school year, Sack Suppers are distributed within the classroom, to ensure every student who needs one can easily get one. During the summer, Sack Suppers are distributed at 15 park sites each weekday. Our Sack Suppers fill a gap that schools and parents often cannot afford, in a way that is accessible and safe for kids.
• Creates an engine for volunteering. Each day, over 150 volunteers prepare and deliver Sack Suppers in our building, as part of our team.
• Empowers kids to help each other. Through volunteering and educational programs, we help kids understand the challenges of hunger and give them the opportunity to lead projects that benefit fellow kids. Over 25% of hours volunteered at Kids’ Food Basket come from youth under age 18.

Each Sack Supper is powered by the love and support of our community. By partnering with individuals, families, businesses, food resources, other nonprofits, schools and teachers, Kids' Food Basket helps ensure that lunch is not the last meal of the day for more than 4,800 kids. Learn more about our Sack Supper program, or find out how we engage youth through our Kids Helping Kids program.