For many Lafayette families, the hours after school are about more than homework and activities. They’re also about making sure kids have enough to eat.

Beginning September 8, Lafayette PARC is partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank to bring its Kids Café program to eight neighborhood recreation centers across the city. The program will provide hot dinners and snacks to children ages 3 to 18 who participate in after-school programming.

Meals will be available at Comeaux, Domingue, George Dupuis, Girard, Heymann, Martin Luther King, Robicheaux and Thomas recreation centers.

The idea is simple but important: meet kids where they already are.

For many families, a neighborhood rec center is already a familiar place for sports, homework, playtime and spending time with friends. Adding a healthy meal gives those spaces another way to support children and take some pressure off busy households.

The program also arrives at a time when food insecurity remains a serious issue across Lafayette Parish, making consistent access to nutritious meals especially important for local families.

Kids Café turns an ordinary after-school stop into something more; a place where kids can play, connect and head home with one less thing to worry about.

For families using Lafayette’s recreation centers, dinner is now part of the routine.