ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Feeding the Valley is working to combat the problem of child food insecurity through its summer program called Kids Cafe. 400 meals are made every day and delivered to Albany during the school year. That number doubles, if not triples, during the summer.

“Any way that we can help, that’s what it’s all about,” said Margalena Remington, Chief Procurement Officer at Feeding the Valley.

According to Feeding America, more than 500,000 children in Georgia are food insecure. Data from 2022 shows that Dougherty, Lee and Terrell counties make up about 85% of that.

In 2021, according to data from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, almost 10,000 juvenile arrests were recorded in Georgia for various crimes.

Remington believes not getting proper nutrition early in life is just one of the many factors that can lead to kids falling behind and getting into trouble.

“A child stays out of trouble if they’re full. It’s just like learning in school — If you’re hungry, you don’t learn well, and it’s the same thing. By feeding them, it keeps them out of trouble,” said Remington.

Countless volunteers play a key role in distributing food to their neighbors. Lots of planning, prep and hard work go into these meals that are delivered day after day.

“So, we get here at 6 a.m. every morning and start cooking,” Remington said. “And we have a driver that leaves here by 9 a.m., and the truck is heated, and everything is taken down there and is kept warm and is dropped off at the different sites.”

For some, it’s more than just taking time out of their day to give back, like Margalena, who knows firsthand what it’s like to not get a nutritious meal growing up. She said that is what pushes and motivates her to wake up at the crack of dawn every day.

“I come in every morning because when I was a kid... I have seven brothers and seven sisters, and a lot of times, that gallon of milk didn’t go far enough for all of us to have breakfast. We had sugar and bread with milk on it. A lot of us here, this is what we do,” said Remington. “Knowing that you can help a kid or a senior or somebody that wouldn’t have something to eat — It’s just absolutely amazing. Everybody helps people, but we get to do something that’s very, very special. We get to solve part of the problem, which helps them so that they can become educated or they can have the other things they need. So, that if somebody gets a flat tire, that doesn’t wreck them completely because their kids have eaten for the day.”

50% of the food Feeding the Valley gets is donated through manufacturers, retailers and farmers, but they also rely on the support from you, the community.

Click here to see how you can get involved.

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