The Cooking for Kids program ensures that children attending summer and afterschool programs in high-needs areas (at least 50% free and reduced lunch rate) receive one full meal and one nutritious snack per day. The goal is to prevent children from facing hunger, which affects school success and life outcomes, and to help alleviate families of some of the financial stress and strain of putting food on the table. We partner with afterschool or summer sites, depending on the time of year, and feed anywhere from 150-500 children per day. Our meals are prepared by students in our CC Pearce Culinary School, allowing students to “pay it forward” to the community while receiving free Project Host services. Meals adhere to USDA requirements and often feature produce from our on-site garden and greenhouse.
Program design and impact
nutritious Meals
Cooking for Kids is a partnership between the CC Pearce Culinary School and local afterschool and summer programs that supplies hot meals and snacks to children living in food insecure households in the Greenville area at no cost to partner sites.
increased culinary exposure
Cooking for Kids meals are not only made from scratch and nutritious, but they expose children to a variety of foods and cuisines that expand kids’ horizons.
training and paying-it-forward
Cooking for Kids meals provide the training ground for students in our CC Pearce Culinary School. Students learn a variety of cooking techniques, all while paying it forward to our wider community.
Partners & Engagement
Partner Spotlight: Meals on Wheels
A Fluor-funded partnership between Project Host and Meals on Wheels that began in 2021 and is ongoing allows for the delivery of Cooking for Kids meals to partner sites. Meals on Wheels picks up food from Project Host and delivers to summer and afterschool sites while running their regular deliver routes.
Read more about this partnership in the Greenville Journal by following the link below.
Project Host is grateful for its wonderful Cooking for Kids partners across Greenville County and works to engage with its partners in ways that extend beyond meal provision. From visits with the food truck, to on-site garden learning taught by Clemson SNAP-Ed, to fun competitions between sites, Project Host seeks to establish a connection with its partner programs and the children they serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No, qualifying sites receive meals at no charge.
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Children under the age of 18 attending afterschool and summer programs that qualify.
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Sites need to be located in areas where the zoned schools have a 50 percent or higher rate of free and reduced lunches.
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Through a partnership with Meals on Wheels, we offer limited delivery based on MOW delivery routes.
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Sites need to provide daily attendance and meal counts and attend training as needed. Sites also need to provide a safe, clean place for food to be served and for children to eat. Partners are subject to site visits by Project Host to ensure program compliance.
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Sites need to be in contact with Project Host by July 15 for feeding during the academic year and by April 15 for summer feeding.
Become a Cooking for Kids Site
If you are interested in becoming a Cooking for Kids partner site, please contact Project Host by July 15 for feeding during the academic year and by April 15 for summer feeding. Email info@projecthost.org to inquire about becoming a partner and to register.
school year 2024-25
Project Host is proud to partner with the USDA and South Carolina DSS Children and Adult Care Feeding Program to offer free nutritious suppers and snacks at afterschool programs throughout the Greenville area. For information about the CACFP program visit their website.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; orfax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; oremail:
Program.Intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.