A program to feed hungry children in Suffolk and the rest of southeastern Virginia recently received a donation to help keep the meals coming.

Kroger Mid-Atlantic donated $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia, which serves more than 2,800 children across seven different cities, according to the press release.

The donation will support the Kid’s Café program that allows clubs to receive U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved meals for members living in food-insecure communities.

“We were so excited when the opportunity arose to support youth in the Hampton Roads community in this way,” Allison McGee, corporate affairs manager for Kroger Mid-Atlantic, stated in the press release. “Supporting the Kid’s Café program is a natural fit for our mission to eliminate hunger in the communities we serve.”

According to the press release, the Kid’s Café program operates in conjunction with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia to address food insecurity by feeding members, teaching them healthy eating and how those healthy choices can have a positive impact.

LaMarr Coles III, director of the Boys and Girls Club Suffolk Unit, said the Foodbank sends more than 10 meal options at a time for breakfast and lunch. These are served at John F. Kennedy Middle School, where the unit is based.

Coles said about 100 children were fed during each day of Kid’s Café meals this summer, and about 130 were fed during each day of classes last school year.

“The children are able to get food each and every day, and they know for a fact that they’re going to get to feed their stomachs,” he said.

The children get their meat, fruits, vegetables and milk. They’re also provided different produce that they may not be able to enjoy outside of the Kid’s Café.

“The money they have given will stretch far and help a multitude of people,” Coles said about the donation. “I’m just grateful that Kroger took the time to donate those funds.”