Food

In Arkansas, 1 in 5 people experience food insecurity. In Jefferson County, nearly 1 in 3 families struggle to feed their children sufficient healthy meals every day. Children who suffer from hunger and food insecurity often face challenges in school and life that are compounded by these disparities. They are more likely to score lower on achievement tests and less likely to graduate from high school. They are also at higher risk of developing chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.

To ensure our children have the nourishment they need to thrive, we feed families year-round.

After-School Meals

We have been a proud member of the Arkansas Special Nutrition At-Risk After School program for nearly a decade. We provide a healthy dinner and snack to hundreds of students Monday through Thursday at two of our sites and seven other locations including two housing projects, churches and other nonprofit organizations. The kids we serve not only receive a healthy meal, but also participate in after-school enrichment programs that help keep them safe between 3 and 6 pm after school has ended and before many parents have arrived home from work.

Summer Meals

Many families in our community rely on school day meals to feed their children during the school year. In the summer, those children often eat only one meal a day. To help keep them nourished when school is out of session, we offer healthy breakfast and lunch to more than 800 children at 11 sites in the Pine Bluff and Jefferson County area in partnership with the Arkansas Special Nutrition At-Risk program.

Emergency Food Baskets

Many children in our community live with grandparents on fixed incomes who also struggle with hunger and need extra support. To ensure they have enough to eat, we prepare and distribute emergency food baskets to families throughout the year. The baskets contain perishable items like meat, fresh vegetables, and bread, as well as non-perishable food like tuna and peanut butter. We distribute the baskets at our TOPPS headquarters on the second Tuesday of each month.