Mr. Bees Kids Cafe

Packed with Hope

School is letting out for the day in Columbia, South Carolina. One by one, 20 Kindergarten through fifth-grade students excitedly board the Westminster Presbyterian Church bus or van.

The students, hand-picked by school guidance counselors, are heading to Mr. Bee's Kids Café, where story time, crafts, homework help, mentoring activities and a hot meal await their arrival.

Then, there is backpack time.

Each student gets a backpack bearing the Mr. Bee's Kids Café logo, provided through 4imprint's one by oneSM program.

"They get very excited," said Ann Nichols, Mr. Bee's Kids Café. "Every week, they want to know where their sack is. They look forward to it."

Each week, volunteers fill the backpacks with cereal, crackers, peanut butter, cookies and juice provided by the Harvest Hope Food Bank. Kids who forget their backpacks take home a spare, so no one leaves empty-handed or hungry.

Mr. Bee's Kids Café is a tribute to Mr. H. B. Rhame, Jr., a former elementary school principal and church member for 40 years. His widow worked with the church to launch the Kids Café as a tribute to his life-long work with children. It is one of 1600 Kids Cafés nationwide, a national program developed by America's Second Harvest, to provide free meals and snacks to low-income children.

At the Westminster Presbyterian Church, the program's popularity is unmistakable.

"We have a waiting list now," Nichols said. "The children consider it a privilege to come and they enjoy it. We have extremely good attendance."