According to the Illinois State Board of Education, 82% of children who attend the local elementary school are from low-income households, five times the city rate, and two-thirds of these local children failed state standardized achievement tests in 2004-2005. Hungry school children score lower on tests and have a harder time concentrating and retaining information. Additionally, childhood obesity is epidemic in Rogers Park.

GNCK’s Children’s Anti-Hunger Collaborative is a direct response to these grim statistics and has three components: 1) An after school snack program for the Starfish Learning Center [insert web link] and the Greensleeves program which is run by the Howard Area Community Center [insert web link], 2) Host site for the City of Chicago’s Summer Lunch program and 3) A free hot lunch program for school age children during the school's major winter and spring breaks.

Together, these nutritious snack and meal programs serve nearly 200 neighborhood children daily during the days the days of operation. After they have eaten, these children help the Kitchen staff prepare for the evening's community meal and engage in other efforts that assist the Kitchen. Serving their community in this way instills in them the value of helping others, a sense of pride in completing a job well, and an appreciation of working as a team. Finally, the snack program allows for a popular leadership role. Each Monday, a child is chosen to be the snack distributor for the week. Giving children positions of leadership helps to foster greater self-esteem and engenders enthusiastic participation in program activities.