The question in the moment was: Has LINC and its partnership with Total Man CDC solved a healthy dinner gap in several area school programs?

The answer, shown on the faces of children and teenagers, was happily clear.

“Take a look!” LINC Caring Communities Coordinator Jason Ervin said, with a sweeping gesture to the after-school students digging in at Grandview Middle School.

Hot barbecue chicken, a roll, fruit, sweet corn and milk were all being consumed amid a chorus of teenage chatter and laughter.

“They’re enjoying it!”

This is the continuing role of “a caring community,” Ervin said, “making sure our kids and families are provided a hot nutritious meal.”

Heading into the 2023-2024 school year, LINC wanted to help fill a gap in food service for the Grandview and Center school districts, plus Lee A. Tolbert Community Academy charter school and Topping Elementary in the North Kansas City School District.

LINC had teamed up with Total Man before, delivering meals to children during the summer months, said LINC Caring Communities Administrator Sean Akridge.

In all, the new program is serving 12 Caring Communities after-school sites, delivering a hot meal at the end of the day to complete the nutritional needs that the school districts provide during the school day with breakfast and lunch.

“Making that third meal available to a family is as important as the activities we do with kids,” Akridge said. “It’s another commitment we make for families.” With the healthy after-school meal, “kids are gearing up to continue learning with LINC.”

More on LINC and nutrition:

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The motivation behind Total Man’s nutrition work is written in alarming nationwide statistics, said Total Man’s Bonita Powell in a training session with LINC’s team.

In the U.S., the diet for three out of four children is deficient in meat and fruits and vegetables, Powell said. And one in three children are overweight or obese.

The poor diets have exacerbated a growing problem with hypertension, heart stress and Type 2 diabetes, she said.

Total Man for more than a decade has developed programming in support of youth, fatherhood and healthy lifestyles. Providing good nutrition in hearty meals was another way to serve that mission.

“We understand the community that we work and serve within and the importance to do our part with the next generation,” Powell said. “Food may seem like a simple part, but it can make all the difference in a child's well-being and future.”

The after-school meals being delivered to those 12 LINC programs include milk, meat or meat substitutes, vegetables, fruit and grains.

The food is delivered hot and the temperature can be maintained with sternos. LINC staff check the temperature of the meat with food thermometers and make a record of it before serving each meal.

Elementary children love the new meals as well. At Lee A. Tolbert Community Academy, the children in the cafeteria showed their satisfaction with their enthusiasm. And — if there was any doubt — when asked How’s the food?, they flashed thumbs-up all around.

On this day, the meal was barbecue chicken, a roll, fruit and corn. Other days since the start of the year they’ve had spaghetti, meatball subs and more. The menu for the season includes burritos, beef chili, fish patties, beef pasta, along with beans, cole slaw, green beans, pineapple, broccoli, tropical fruit and more.

As the Grandview middle schoolers were finishing their meal, Ervin debriefed them on what was next: reading and discussing materials for an anti-violence literature project.

And the youths gathered their things and mounted up, full and ready to learn.

By Joe Robertson/LINC Writer