NASHUA, NH – Summer is a time of fun, vacations, and freedom from classrooms for kids. For many of Nashua’s children, it can also be a time of hunger and greater food insecurity. When school cafeterias close, kids miss meals.
Feed the Kids (FTK) is a small local nonprofit that does what its name says. They feed kids.
All summer, twice a week they bring prepared dinnertime meals to the neighborhoods of Nashua and give them to kids and their families. There are no financial qualifications, forms to fill out, or unwelcome recipients. If you need a meal you get a meal.
This is the fourth summer of operations for the group founded by local businesswoman Kendra Smith. She operates Feed the Kids out of her Soel Sistas Restaurant kitchen on Temple Street.
“If you get in line, I’m not going to ask a question. Clearly you know what we are doing so you need some help. I feel that the biggest thing why people do not ask for help is they have to fill out all this paperwork, give their whole life story to walk away with one bag of food. “ said Smith.
Smith worked in the cafeterias of the Nashua school system when COVID-19 interrupted school meals. She saw the effect and began to pick up school breakfasts and lunches and deliver them to families isolated by the pandemic.
There are food pantries and some summer school meals available but they operate in fixed locations requiring transportation to get to. The solution Feed the Kids provides is distribution; they bring meals to families in need.
“For the first two years, we did it all by ourselves, Smith said, with donations from Crossways and monetary donations from people in the community,” she said. In 2023 the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Nashua’s End 68 Hours of Hunger approached them with offers of support, using the FTK distribution as a way to extend the reach of their services. Support has also come from the City
Kendra gets the most help in this project from her family. Her sister Audra Soucie and daughter Natalie are her volunteer staff at her side making the deliveries. This summer they have been delivering 125 meals twice a week since June. That number will go down to about 75 as summer winds down and school activities come online.
Currently, they are operating under Involved to Impact a local 501c3 that acts as their fiscal agent. One of Smith’s goals is to become a stand-alone nonprofit by the start of the 2025 summer season. She is actively recruiting a board to begin that formation. The change will allow them access to greater resources and collaborations.
Donations are gratefully accepted and they can be followed on their Facebook Page.
With few resources and lots of hard work, they make a big difference for the families of Nashua. When asked what her motivation is she simply stated, “I love the kids.”
