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Inspiration
Asleep in his Anchorage apartment, Elgin Jones heard a loud voice say, "Feed the children!" Most folks would have rolled over and forgotten all about it by morning, but for Jones, the August 1996 dream was truly a wakeup call. Within 2 weeks, the childless retired newspaper editor had contacted a recreation center in the poorest part of town and started cooking nutritious free meals for children—funded out of his own pocket.
"I don't force kids to eat vegetables; I persuade them," says Jones, now 65, who has served up more than half-a-million meals so far. "I make tuna casserole with peas so good they forget the peas are in there." Make a food donation today and become part of his growing movement.
Impact
Elgin lives 2 blocks away from the Mountain View Recreation Center. With help from volunteers and donations, he started serving meals to children at the center. The majority of these children come from low-income families who have breakfast and lunch programs available at school. Each weeknight, 75 youngsters sit down for a healthy meal like hamburger with sides of broccoli and apples, cooked by Jones, who lives off Social Security and takes no salary from his nonprofit Kids' Kitchen.
"It's from his heart and done for all the right reasons," says Superintendent of Schools Carol Comeau. But the props that mean the most come from the kids themselves, many of whom call him Grandpa. Call us today for your chance to provide food for kids or money donations that make a difference.
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