JP Cafe feeds young people all year round and in the summer hosts the Alaska Summer Food Service Program for Children. Our partners include the Fairbanks Community Foodbank, The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, The Fred Meyer Foundation, Quota Cares, Lutheran Thrivent, and many local donors who keep us stocked in peanut butter and jelly.
JP Café opened in September 2006 as the soul of our ministry to youth. Since April 1999 Joel’s Place has understood the power of a hot satisfying meal on a cold Alaskan evening. From a single meal served on Friday nights to every night we are open, shared meals are a way to show our youth, parents and staff that a family that eats together stays together!
Summer Food Service Program for Children
During the Summer we feed lots of children at Joel’s Place, because teens have a late morning schedule we are serving brunch from noon-1pm Monday through Friday May 21-August 10 and supper from 4pm-6pm Monday through Friday May 21-September 28. These meals are free to young people up to age 18.
This program is sponsored by USDA and the Department of Education. Joel’s Place qualifies as an open site because our neighboring elementary school, Anne Wein, had 68% of its students on free or reduced lunch in 2007.
Food Service Program for Children. Meals will be made available free to all children 18 years of age and under within the approved geographical area without regard to sex, race, color, age, handicap or national origin. Any person who believes that he/she has been discriminated against in any USDA related activity should write immediately to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250.
All Winter Long
Since April 1999 we have served a free meal on Friday night for the Joel’s Place community of young people, volunteers, staff and parents. Now we serve a light meal every evening, whether it is a full course meal or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches everyone gets something to eat.
Bone Builder’s Backpacks
Bone Builder’s Backpacks is a food outreach done in collaboration with the Fairbanks Community Foodbank since May 2000. Every summer we have prepared 50- 200 packs of kid friendly snack food for Fairbanks children to pick up each week. This summer we served 50 children at Joel’s Place and 100 children at Christ is the Answer Church, 402 16th Ave, where volunteer Josie Leyva will continues to meet the needs of hungry children in her neighborhood.