Summer Youth Cafe kicks off summer meals program
Despite the sun beating down on Center Avenue Community School, Andi Kelly said she waited in line to receive free meals for her three children to help lift a weight off her shoulders while they are out of school.
“It’s free and it’s very convenient,” Kelly said of the meals. “My kids will eat the whole house through the summer, so it’s always great to have a bit more. With the way prices are going up, it helps with the groceries too.”
Her children are among nearly 180 in the Butler area that will have access to five days’ worth of breakfast and lunch per week during summer break through the Summer Youth Cafe program.
Summer Youth Cafe is a summer meals program organized by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. It wrapped its first week in the area at the school on Thursday, June 26. In Butler, it serves free grab-and-go meals on a weekly basis, representing 10 meals in total, to anyone under the age of 18.
On Thursday, volunteers at Center Avenue Community School served 63 children in a bit over an hour. According to food bank employees, the program served an additional 116 children at Emily Brittain Elementary School on Tuesday.
Dana Launius, manager of child nutrition youth cafe programs at the food bank, said this is the second year that the Summer Youth Cafe has distributed meals in Butler. While she said it's too early to determine the impact the program has had, she hopes to see it continue to grow over the coming weeks.
“I’m hoping more and more people come and register and things spread by word-of-mouth,” Launius said.
She explained that the food bank allocated enough meals for the 40 or so registrants. Some leftover food from a distribution on Wednesday helped to fill the gaps needed to feed the 20 or so who signed up day of.
“We’ll probably bring 60 or 65 meals next time, as well as some extras for new registrants,” Launius said.
According to Kelsey Gross, director of child nutrition programs, food is being distributed at two other cafe sites in Moniteau School District this summer, raising the total sites in the county to four compared to last year’s one.
She said she anticipates serving an average of 350 bundles per week among the four sites.
Registration for the program can be done either online or in person during a pickup time. More information on additional food resources throughout the county is available at pittsburghfoodbank.org/summer.
Summer Youth Cafe Schedule
The cafe is operating at two locations in Butler until the week of Monday, Aug. 11:
• Emily Brittain Elementary School at 338 N. Washington St. from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays
• Center Avenue Community School at 102 Lincoln Ave. from 11 a.m. to noon on Thursdays
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Volunteer Teresa Dailey places food items into a grocery bag for families to pick up during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Teresa Dailey places food items into a grocery bag for families to pick up during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Teresa Dailey grabs apple juice from a cooler to add to food bags during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Darla Somerville ties a knot in a bag of food during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Sue Geibel packages food into grocery bags during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Sue Geibel packages food into grocery bags during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Darla Somerville adds milk to a grocery bag full of food during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Sue Ditullio places a packaged bag of food for families to pick up during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Darla Somerville adds milk to a grocery bag full of food during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Sue Geibel packages food into grocery bags during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Sue Ditullio gets frozen meals from a cooler to be placed in food bags during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteer Teresa Dailey packages food into bags during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Volunteers Teresa Dailey, left, and Darla Somerville package food into grocery bags during the first day of the Summer Youth Cafe, a summer meals program for kids put on by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, outside of Center Avenue Community School in Butler on Thursday, June 26. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
