ROGERS, Ark. — Thousands of kids in Northwest Arkansas rely on reduced or free lunches as their main meal of the day. With schools being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, one volunteer group is leaving hundreds of meals on people's door-steps a day.
5NEWS caught up with NWA Givers Monday (April 13) as volunteers loaded meals into vehicles.
This group of volunteers works in education, so they see first-hand the hunger in the area.
SOT Roo Winchester Director NWA Givers
"We see the poverty level that a lot of people don't see, so we know the need is out there," NWA Givers Director Jerusha "Roo," Winchester said. "We wanted to ease that burden and for people to know that a meal is coming from somewhere every day."
Efforts to feed the community has been ongoing for weeks, and it's only getting bigger.
Drive-through pickup spots for food are running out in minutes, and more people are reaching out for home-deliveries.
"Deliveries happen for people who can't get out, whether their autoimmune compromised or they don't have gas money to come to us," Winchester said. "They can call or write and say they can't get out for whatever reason; we will deliver to their door - ring and drop is what I call it."
Due to financial uncertainty during these unprecedented times, restaurants who were initially donating to families are having to back out.
But, IDK? Cafe + Catering is taking leadership by giving away hundreds of meals a day.
SOT Justin Eaton Owner IDK Cafe
"I've got lots and lots of food coming in that we can turn into meals. We have the capacity to do this because this is what we do for a living. So we're trying to do at least five hundred meals every day," Justin Eaton, owner of IDK? Cafe + Catering said.
To do this, the catering business is taking food donations from places like Tyson and local restaurants.
When packing meals into boxes, they say they will not question the amount of food a family needs.
"When a family pulls up and asks for five, we won't question that; we'll just give you your five. There is no reason in this wonderful, beautiful country that kids should be hungry - ever," Eaton said.
Families can pick up meals at First Christian Church at 905 S 13th Street in Rogers. Volunteers hand out food at 1-3 p.m.
For delivery information, contact Justin Eaton at jeaton@idkcafe.com.