5200 Old Highway 90 West • San Antonio, TX 78227• 210-337-3663 • 800-246-9121 • Hours Mon-Fri 8-5

The Steps To Starting A Kids Cafe  

  • Prepare a realistic, workable program budget. The average Kids Cafe requires an annual operating budget of approximately $10,000. You will probably need to seek private or business sponsors to help you reach your funding goals.

  Consider:
  • Wages for the cook
  • Insurance at the site
  • Wages for any secretarial, tutoring, or coaching staff
  • The cost of a year’s supply of plates, forks, spoons, cups, bowls and napkins
  • The cost for a part-time janitor, if neededA budgeted allotment for equipment/facility repairs

  • Establish a suitable feeding site for the program.

 
  • Work with schools and community leaders to place a Kids Cafe where it will serve the most needy children in the area.
  • Design and equip (or ensure feeding sites have) a suitable kitchen.
  • Hire a skilled, trustworthy individual with a food handler’s license to cook food and oversee that it is served and stored safely.
  • Find reliable volunteers and divide responsibilities appropriately.
  • Develop a reliable plan for transporting Kids Cafe food from the San Antonio Food Bank.
  • Establish a lockable closet, pantry or cabinet to store Kids Cafe food so that it cannot be accessed by anyone but the Kids Cafe cook and kitchen staff.
  • Plan at least three structured, educational/physically active activities to supplement the structure of the Kids Cafe program.
  • Plan to include nutrition education in the Kids Cafe program, to encourage children to eat nutritious foods and exercise.

When you are ready:
  • If you are not already a San Antonio Food Bank agency, fill out an application.
 
  • Provide a copy of your program’s 501(c)(3)
  • Your cook’s food handler’s permit
  • Valid Health Department inspections
  • Your budget, complete with any business and/or private sponsors, as well as other proposed funding sources [i.e.: grants, budget allotments]
  • Contact the San Antonio Food Bank for a site monitoring inspection.
  • Arrange a time for you and your staff to attend the Kids Cafe orientation session.
  • Sign the San Antonio Food Bank and Kids Cafe registration agreement.
  • Coordinate with the San Antonio Food Bank Kids Cafe Developer, who will present the San Antonio Food Bank Kids Cafe Grand Opening Ceremony at your site.

Act Now
 
 
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