Growing children need the basics – food, shelter, and water. Simple yet complicated at the same time. Simple as these are common that many have access to but not all can obtain due to life circumstances. This setup is not good for any human being but it is especially detrimental to children in their early years of life. So many complications can arise due to a lack of food like developmental impairments; increased risks of health conditions, shorter than average height, severely underweight, and loss of focus in school. In addition, the costs associated with poverty to our state and nation is astronomical.

Many children are fortunate that while they attend school they can at lease have breakfast and lunch but what about the little ones not yet old enough to go to school, the toddlers. Quietly working in the background is an organization addressing the need for childhood hunger by keeping the bellies full of many preschoolers across the city. Kids’ Meals is a 501 c3 nonprofit that provides meals for preschoolers and doubles their efforts during the summer months to include siblings of toddlers up to age 18. It is part of their “Hunger Free Summer” initiative in partnership with McDonald’s Houston where they had a goal of raising funds to provide more than 400,000 healthy meals to Houston children.

“During the school year, we are serving those children who are too young for free breakfast and free lunch services. But during the summer and holidays, we feed all of the children in the homes, up to 6,000 per weekday, because accessing food sites is a tremendous challenge for families who have no transportation or only one vehicle,” said Beth Harp, Executive Director, Kids' Meals.

Houston ranks second in the nation for children living with food insecurity, Harris County has the second highest rate of child food insecurity in the nation, and Texas is a distant 43rd for children’s overall well-being with a devastating 25% of the children living in poverty. This is unacceptable to the Greater Houston McDonald’s owner/operators. “As parents, as small business people, and as active members of our communities, Kids' Meals' cause hits close to home for all of us. At McDonald's, we believe no child should spend a single day hungry.” Hazel Smith,

local McDonald's owner/operator and president of the Black McDonald's Owners Association of Houston, continued, “McDonald’s Houston owner/operators are donating time, resources and funds to support Kids’ Meals’ “Hunger Free Summer” initiative and spread the word to our community about how we can all come together to help them provide more than 400,000 nutritious meals to children this summer in Houston.”

Day-in-and-out an army of volunteers through the generous support of donors prepares the meals. As many nutritious meals that they prepare it is still not enough. More help is constantly needed.

“As our city continues to grow, children living in food insecure homes are also growing. In Houston, 1in 4 children don't know where their next meal is coming from. Many times, Kids' Meals is their lifeline for daily nutritious food,” said Harp. Even though they are making an impact it is overshadowed by the need being so great.

McDonald’s Houston is happy to partner with Kids’ Meals because they love children and care about their health. As Smith said in our interview, McDonald’s is really paying attention to the food they provide to children starting from where it comes from to how it is prepared. She commented, “We are always listening to our customers and working to build a better McDonald’s. That starts with sourcing food responsibly and using real, quality ingredients across our menu. We believe in giving customers a variety of choices, including our Egg McMuffin, made with a fresh cracked egg, English muffin and lean Canadian bacon, Quarter Pounder, made with fresh beef and cooked to order, and Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad.”

Kids’ Meals is the nation’s only free home meal delivery program targeting preschool-aged children and signing them up is rather easy. Families with children must be under 6 years of age need to complete an application and parents provide a copy of one proof of benefits (SSI, TANF, SNAP, housing, free/reduced lunches). The application will be reviewed and identify the applicant as poverty stricken as defined by the federal income eligibility guidelines.

“Working poor” is defined as: 1) a household (individual or family) earning less than 200% of the federal poverty line – $21,660/year for an individual and $44,100/ year for a family of four with two kids – and 2) where one member of the household has spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force working or looking for work in the last year.

Now that summer is coming to close Kids’ Meals looks to their other projects for 2019 that are just as lofty. “We project to deliver 1 million meals over 248 delivery days, thanks to the help of 20,000+ volunteers who will share more than 70,000 hours to make and deliver meals as well as 100,000 bags of produce and pantry staples to support our families,” said Harp.