GBFB’s Heroes Club Provides
Nutritious Food to Kids Cafe Program

Thanks to the generosity of corporate food producers, GBFB’s Kids Cafe evening meal program for disadvantaged children, is able to feed close to 1,700 children a day, five days a week.  A partnership with local Boys and Girls Clubs, the number of children showing up for free meals has grown since the economic downturn, and our dedicated food donors have responded with increased donations of high nutrient quality food. “We started the Kids Cafe program because we know that when children are out of school, they are often not being fed, or they are eating unhealthy food,” explains Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO of GBFB.  “We needed a way to provide an evening meal, and a partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs seemed right.  After all, they have hungry kids, and GBFB has food.” She continues, “We established our Heroes Club to acknowledge and honor nine local businesses that help us to provide high nutrient quality meals to children in need.  Their generous donations of food products truly make them heroes to the young people who participate in our Kids Cafe program.” Kids Cafe not only feeds children, but also teaches them about food, healthy eating and how to make smarter food choices for more energy and to live healthier lives.  The program’s nutrition team takes an interactive, energized approach to making healthy eating interesting and easy, with multi-week learning modules such as “Snack Attack,” “Eat Fit,” and “Rainbow Buffet,” that teach the connection between healthy foods and healthy, active minds and bodies.  Participating children also make smart snacks and meals together, and are given a “take home” bag with child-friendly recipes to encourage caregivers to continue the teaching and learning process. Kids Cafe Heroes Club members, and the food items they donate, include:

• Garelick Farms – Milk
• Kettle Cuisine – Soup
• Olivia’s Organics – Salad Greens
• Mama Rosie’s – Raviolis & Tomato Sauce
• Fishery Products – Non-breaded Fish
• Vitasoy – Soy Milk & Asian-style Noodles
• Ken’s Food – Salad Dressing
• Cains – Lite Mayonnaise
• American Pride Seafood – Fish
• T.F. Kinnealey – Chicken

  Kids Cafe Guest Chef Makes it Count Four Seasons Boston Executive Chef, Brooke Vosika, is used to preparing meals with the most exquisite Kobe beef and freshest fish from the sea, and pairing his dishes with world-class wines for the hotel’s guests. But when Vosika volunteered as Guest Chef for the Kids Cafe at the Yawkey Club of Roxbury, he may have faced his most appreciative critics:  disadvantaged children from the neighborhood. Chef Vosika’s menu included hamburgers, cheeseburgers, corn-on-the-cob, salad, and watermelon.  When the lunch was over, all the children had smiles on their faces, but Vosika’s was the biggest.  “I love to prepare meals for these children,” he explained.  “For some, this may be the only meal they receive today.  Being able to provide them with delicious and nutritious food they enjoy makes mine the best job in the world!”