HPFB’s Kids Cafe provides for low-income children with dietary restrictions

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - This year, one in four children in the Texas Panhandle is facing food insecurity. The High Plains Food Bank’s Kids Cafe fights childhood food insecurity, providing meals to schools, clubs and aftercare programs.

For LeAnna Diaz and her son Caden, who has a rare metabolic disorder called Phenylketonuria (PKU), the Kids Cafe has brought them peace of mind.

“Their entire life centers around their diet, if they do not have a low protein diet, the phenalene builds up in their blood stream so it slows the blood flow to their brain,” explained Diaz. “I was stressing really bad over it and after just a few days I realized I had nothing to worry about because they absolutely knew what they were doing. They knew all about PKU. They did the research on it and it has been wonderful.”

The Kids Cafe impacts Caden’s life beyond food, always making sure his condition doesn’t make him feel excluded or different.

“At school when they have a birthday party or something and I’m not there or I wasn’t able to send anything, he actually gets left out unfortunately and everyone else will get to have cupcakes. He just kind of sits there and its really sad,” said Diaz. “[Then] Rachel called me from Kids Cafe and said, ‘absolutely not, that will not be an issue and we will have his food every single day,’ and they do.”

Kids Cafe volunteers go to different school clubs and programs across the Panhandle to feed children lunch.

During the summer, they offer both breakfast and lunch.

Even during a pandemic, the Kids Cafe ensured all kids could eat.

If schools are out because of COVID-19, volunteers will still distribute food that kids can reheat at home.

“We provide a hot meal to kids who are still participating in in person school. So they get a hot meal in a box delivered to their site or after school program,” said Maribel Sotelo, director for HPFB’s Kids Cafe. “Then the rest of the staff that’s available, we go out to other campuses where we don’t have any after school activities going on and we ensure they are also getting a meal that they can take home and reheat.”

Kids Cafe also started a community fridge outside of their building where anyone can come and get a free meal.

“We have a gentleman that’s from here in the neighborhood who used to come and pick up his meals during our regular to-go box offers... he is legally blind. But he knows exactly where that cooler is and he comes every day and gets a meal. I don’t think if we had that refrigerator out there he would be one of our neighbors that probably would not eat,” said Sotelo.

Every dollar donated to the Together We Can Food Drive provides up to five meals.

To support the High Plains Food Bank and the many children they feed, Market Street is taking food and cash donations.

The food drive will be open from 12:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. today.

Copyright 2020 KFDA. All rights reserved.