On a hot summer day in Sacramento, Calif., a mom arrives at a community meal with her five children, including her 2-month-old baby. She is one of dozens of families gathering for a pop-up community meal outside a motel where many are temporarily living. Many, like her, are going through a difficult time and find themselves in transitional housing. The motel rooms don’t have a kitchen, so cooking a warm meal is impossible for many.
That day, those families had something different. They gathered around a table covered with linens and enjoyed a warm meal prepared by a chef.
“She is a mom who’s alone, trying to get her kids to school, all of them very different ages,” recalled Mariela Donis, senior manager at No Kid Hungry in California. “There’s just no way this mom can get a job right now. But here, she and her kids were welcomed with dignity, given a meal and a chance to breathe…They treated them as if they were guests at a restaurant. They served them, ushered them in and welcomed them with respect.”
This moment is possible thanks to Alchemist CDC in Sacramento with support from No Kid Hungry and with a donated vehicle from our corporate partner Kia.
Driving for Change
Alchemist CDC is a local community benefit organization that connects Sacramento area communities to nourishing food, green spaces and entrepreneurship opportunities. They focus on supporting families who are unhoused and don’t have reliable transportation with the support of a network of volunteers. No Kid Hungry has partnered with Alchemist CDC for more than two years, supporting their work in schools and community meals.
“Most schools will have a pantry families can access, but for those without a car or reliable way to get there, Alchemist CDC steps in,” Donis explained.
But getting food to families can be challenging. The nonprofit depended on volunteers driving their cars, and sometimes this would take them from other important jobs like prepping the meals. This would limit the capacity of the volunteers to support the community.
The donation of a vehicle from Kia has given the team the ability to reach more families than ever before.
“This is our first summer with this Kia vehicle, and it has made a profound difference. Last year, we started pop-up food distributions and meals at sites where unhoused families with children are temporarily living, but getting all of the equipment and food to the sites was a logistical challenge,” said Sam Greenlee, executive director of Alchemist CDC. “The van has changed that, freeing up time to focus more on program execution. The Carnival even allows us to buy fruits and vegetables for distribution from the local Meadowview Certified Farmers' Market. We have delivered nutritious food to 87 families with 170 children only through these pop-ups thanks to having this vehicle.”
Tommy Le, manager at No Kid Hungry in California witnessed the impact of the vehicle, “They packed that car to the brim. Without it, they’d have to spread supplies across five different small cars that volunteers were driving. Having that vehicle really helps them significantly.”
A Bridge to the Community
Alchemist CDC pop-up meals are a bridge to the community. Families not only get groceries and chef-prepared meals, they get an opportunity to connect to additional resources and a chance to breathe.
“[Families] share how those gatherings give them time away from being stacked in their rooms to build community with their neighbors, to discover new flavors and recipes and to see smiles on the kids’ faces,” Greenlee said.
Donis talked about a boy who had had a rough day at school. He arrived frustrated and upset, but soon, he was coloring with markers, smiling and eating a warm meal. “Imagine coming home after a fight at school,” she said. “Instead of coming back to your own space, you come to something temporary. But in that moment, he just got to be a kid again.”
And that’s what this is all about. Kids being kids. A meal can become a moment of joy, trust and hope for the future. Alchemist CDC, with support from Kia and No Kid Hungry, is helping families with a place to gather, connect and know they are not alone. Partnerships like this show us that together, we can end childhood hunger!
