Kids’ Meals, a nonprofit delivering food to preschool-aged children in Harris and Montgomery counties, is on a mission to wipe out childhood hunger in Houston, Chief Operations and Program Officer John Day said.

“That’s our number one goal and that’s something that I strive for every day,” Day said. “And if you said to me, ‘What is your goal for [the] number of children to feed?’ I’m never satisfied with where we are today. It’s never enough until it’s zero.”

The big picture

The nonprofit, which started in 2006, has a 56-ZIP code service area, Day said. During the school year, Kids’ Meals generally serves children ages 0-5 and when school is out or during the summer break, all children ages 0-18 are fed.

To qualify for meal delivery, families must have a child between 0-5 years old and also meet the requirements for the National School Lunch Program. Day said the nonprofit can typically get a family on a route within two days of an application being filled out.


Each meal, which has an all-in cost of $2, includes a sandwich, a snack, a fruit and a drink, Day said. Kids’ Meals serves around 15,000 kids a day.

“So the support of our donors, our volunteers, we ask people to share our story, follow us online, share our online posts—all of that is integral to us being able to keep doing what we do every day,” Day said.
Looking ahead

This past June, the nonprofit broke ground on a new 50,000-square-foot building in Harris County that will provide additional warehouse and volunteer space to help it reach its goal of feeding 26,000 children a day by 2031.

The building is anticipated to be completed in the summer of 2025, Day said.


“We’ve got to be there to support [these kids] and ensure that we are taking care—every single day—of our future,” Day said. “That’s what we’re doing. ... We’ve got to make sure that they’re prepared. And that starts with proper nutrition as a child.”