Since 2014, River Valley Food 4 Kids has dedicated itself to a singular mission: alleviating hunger among children in the Arkansas River Valley. 

 

What began ten years ago as a humble endeavor in a church pantry has blossomed into an organization that serves over 1000 children weekly. Through the dedication of our volunteers, the unwavering support of our sponsors, and the strength of our community partners, we have served over 2.7 million meals to children experiencing food insecurity. 

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After outgrowing two previous spaces, River Valley Food 4 Kids now resides within OneRoof, a nonprofit hub in Russellville. We have over 3,000 square feet of warehouse and administrative space, allowing us room to plan for the future.

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Over the last decade, not only has our building capacity grown, but so have the programs offered:

 

BACKPACK PROGRAM

Initially only serving the Russellville School District with an average of 500 children participating weekly, within 4 years, RVF4K would add Pottsville, Dover, and Atkins School Districts serving nearly 900 students between the four districts. Hector School District was added in 2020 increasing our impact to almost 1200 students in Pope County. The 2023-2024 Backpack Program served 273,793 meals over 34 weeks.

 

SUMMER FOOD 4 KIDS

Following the success of the Backpack Program, RVF4K worked to establish the popular Summer Food 4 Kids Program. This 10 to 11-week program bridges the summer gap between semesters and provides food to 750 children at locations in Pope and Yell Counties. We provide 14 meals weekly including pasta, protein, whole grains, and fresh produce.

 

HOLIDAY PROGRAM

In December, RVF4K hosts a Holiday Helper Distribution to provide supplemental nutrition for kids during the 2.5 to 3-week holiday break. This festive event is a mock supermarket-style distribution where families can come together and choose the items to create their holiday celebration meals. This widely popular program serves almost 30,000 meals to 1000 people in two days! 

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COOKING CLASSES (EDUCATION)

In 2022, we added programming to address the secondary component of our mission statement: to provide education on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. After noticing that food was being returned from the Backpack Program, the organization acknowledged its responsibility to provide kids with information on how to prepare food. RVF4K partnered with the University of Arkansas Extension Office’s Family and Consumer Sciences Director to host in-person free cooking classes for children which have become a valuable component of our programming.

 

Please contact us if you would like more information about volunteering or sponsoring a child. You can message us on Facebook or email us at rivervalleyfood4kids@gmail.com.

 

You can also visit our Support Us Page for more information.

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

At RVF4K, the promotion of diversity and inclusion is made a priority. By openly welcoming and encouraging different experiences and backgrounds to be voiced and shared, we are better equipped to serve all of the children and families in our community. We realize that our mission would not be reachable without the diversity among our staff, clients, volunteers, and community members.