"In as much as you've done it unto the least...of these...you've done it unto me" (Mt. 25:40).
ATTENTION: 200,557 FREE SUMMER MEALS TO KIDS IN NORFOLK, VIRGINIA BEACH, AND CHARLES CITY COUNTY IN 2009!
BY THE NUMBERS: OVER 287,000 FREE SUMMER MEALS TO KIDS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF VIRGINIA IN 2008!
In the Summers of 2006 and 2007, we were fortunate enough to partner with The Historic First Baptist Church/READY Academy 3R's Summer Camp in Norfolk, Virginia to administer a not for profit summer food program that assisted organizations in feeding kids ages 2-18. The program provided free nutritious meals to low income children, gave children the food they needed to learn, play, and grow, helped families stretch their food buying dollar, and left children mentally engaged so they returned to the classroom ready to learn.
In the Summer of 2006, The Historic First Baptist Church/READY Academy 3R's Summer Camp was able to sponsor the serving of 15, 059 FREE meals to kids throughout the Hampton Roads area. In the Summer of 2007 we served 74, 943 FREE meals to kids. We grew by 500%. The state of Virginia's annual average growth rate for feeding kids in the summertime has been 7% since 1998.
However, research shows that in the summer of 2007 ONLY 19% of eligible children were fed in Virginia. We are currently looking for organizations that are willing and able to help us feed more kids during the summer months.