Eight-year old Trinity shows off her grape kabob.

“I’m hungry,” says seven-year old Lorenzo, one of a dozen kids participating in the Junior League of Lafayette’s Kids in the Kitchen program. But, first things first: Lorenzo and the other children have to finish 30-minutes of light exercise before they head to the kitchen at the Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana’s Granberry unit. Casey Ardoin, who is assisting with the exercise, replies to Lorenzo, ‘We’re about to eat in a minute.”

The club’s so-called Quiet Room is far from quiet during this half-hour; in fact, a dozen kids are nearly bouncing off the walls with excitement, and standing among them are both Ardoin and another Junior League member, Rebecca Rader. While holding small, pink weights in her hands, 8-year-old Trinity (here with her two younger sisters) says proudly, “I almost got to 50! All I need is 15 more!” When it is time for sit-ups, five-year old Mariska exclaims, ‘I can do that!” One after the other, the kids are taking part in different physical activities ranging from jumping jacks to hula-hoop. “We alternate the routine, and on some days we do Zumba and yoga,” offers Rader, “and we come back once a week.”

While all of this is going on inside, outside of the club two other Junior Leaguers are running laps with about a dozen girls who take part in the League’s ‘Girls on the Run’ program. Meanwhile, back inside, Rader asks the kids, “OK, are you guys ready to cool down?” A resounding, “Yeah!” is shouted by the kids, all eager to head to the kitchen because they know what’s waiting for them. But first, they have to pick up the balls, jump ropes and hula-hoops. “They are learning about responsibility and manners, too,” adds Rader.

As the kids enter the club’s small kitchen, there’s a table in the center of the room, and straddled across the countertop are several colorful plates, each one filled with different vegetables, fruit, meat and cheese. “Wash your hands first, and then I want ya’ll to try something new today,” says the Stephanie Collins. A member of the Junior League for eight years, Collins is a high school math teacher at Lafayette’s David Thibodeaux Stem Magnet Academy, and this is her second year volunteering at the Granberry Unit on South Washington Street. Collins smiles warmly. “I love this location and these kids. These kids are so appreciative, and this is why I joined the Junior League; it touches my heart.” These volunteers visit both locations of Lafayette’s Boys and Girls Clubs once a week, and host both Kids in the Kitchen and Girls on the Run.

The kids form a line, and one-by-one they approach the buffet where the Junior Leaguers assist them in choosing what they want to put on their kabobs. It seems today their least favorite are the cucumbers and tomatoes, while the clear favorites of this hungry group are cheese, grapes and crackers. After they sit at the table, one voice after another comments on their ‘works-of-art on a stick’. “Look at mine,” says one child; “I love cheese!” adds another, while still a third exclaims, “I have all grapes on mine!”

The fact is, for many of these children, this may be their last meal of the day, and probably the most nutritious, says Collins. “I’m making a fruit cabob for the first time!” exclaims six-year old Loreal, one of Trinity’s younger sisters who’s sitting next to her other sister, five-year old Loriana. Assisting Collins in the kitchen is Sarah Prejean, a physical therapist who is wearing her scrubs. “It’s funny; the kids ask me if I’m a nurse or a doctor, and as the weeks go by and they see us consistently, they start remembering our first names,” says Collins. “It’s fun to see their faces light up as they get so excited while they make things like pizza and tacos.”

Like the physical activity component that preceded it, this portion of Kids in the Kitchen lasts about 20-to-30 minutes. After an hour has passed, their names are called out over the loudspeaker meaning their parents or guardians have arrived to bring them home. Collins reminds them, “Take a plate home for later.” Trinity grabs her sisters, and they head to their waiting grandmother. The expressions on faces of this trio are of comfort and delight, and you can tell it’s all from the care and nutrition lesson they just experienced with the Junior Leaguers.

There is still food left over, and the League volunteers call in the other club kids and invite them to eat. One little boy enters the room as if it were Christmas morning, he literally jumps into his sister’s arms and looks up at her. “They got some food! They got some food!” Collins smiles and tells him, “Take whatever you want, baby.”

Collins is allotted $50-a-week to spend on food for Kids in the Kitchen, and she stretches every penny, shopping for sales and buying in bulk, all so she can bring the club kids more and more. The money comes from Junior League of Lafayette fundraisers such the annual Tinsel & Treasures shopping extravaganza and sales of its “Talk About Good” cookbook. “The support we receive from the community is so important,” explains Collins.

Harold Alexander, the executive director of the Granberry unit, has been helping kids here for 30 years; he knows each child by name and they know him. As each child approaches, you can tell they respect Alexander and consider him sort of a godfather-like figure in their lives. The Kids in the Kitchen program, says Alexander, is a subject that has deeply touched his heart. “These ladies are truly a blessing; they are just great with the kids, and give of themselves, and the kids of our club truly love them,” he explains with his soft, yet deep voice. “I wish we could do this every day for all the kids because, believe me, if we could, I would have them (League volunteers) here every day.” Alexander pauses, pondering an even more serious reality. “For some kids, this is the only real meal they will eat today.”

Meanwhile, in the parking lot, Trinity and her sisters get into their grandmother’s car. It’s apparent by the looks on their faces that their collective day in the kitchen has been both joyful and fun but, at the same time, there’s a third element: a sense of accomplishment. They look back at the Granberry unit as their grandmother drives off into the night, headed for home.

There is no doubt they can’t wait until next Monday… when the Junior Leaguers return.