| His program takes a bite out of hunger |
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Article Featured in the Times Leader Ollie’s owner started with free meals to 40 needy children. Feeding even more is his goal. MATT HUGHES This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it EDWARDSVILLE – David Tevet is doing his part to end childhood hunger in Luzerne County.  Dave Tevet the owner of Ollie's restaurant in Edwardsville discusses a food program he has devised for needy children. AIMEE DILGER Photos/The Times Leader 4/14/2011Tevet, owner of Ollie’s, An American Restaurant, in Edwardsville, in mid-February started a pilot nonprofit program to deliver nutritionally balanced meals cooked at his restaurant to area children in need for free.The Dinners for Kids program began with a group of 40 children referred by Luzerne County Children and Youth Services and administrators in the Wyoming Valley West School District, funding the program at a cost of about $400 per week from his own pocket and even delivering some meals himself. Because he owns a restaurant and can order food wholesale, Tevet said he can reduce the production cost of meals to about $1.70 each, and by using volunteers to pack and deliver meals he can eliminate those costs as well. That doesn’t mean he skimps on quality. Tevet consulted two nutritionists in designing balanced meals with fresh fruits and vegetables, and has collected feedback from children receiving meals to find out which dishes they like best. “I treat the kids like my customers,” Tevet said. “I want them to like the food. If they don’t like the food we serve, they don’t eat it. If they’re not going to eat it, we didn’t achieve anything.” Tevet has assembled a 17-member board of area community and religious leaders to guide the program and secure funding to keep it running. Once that happens, he hopes to expand, possibly getting other businesses, organizations and government bodies involved and adding an educational component. “If people just see the value in it, it can be duplicated; it can be done everywhere,” Tevet said. “I don’t want to keep the program; I want to make it public domain.” Funding needed  Meals are assembled at Ollie's restaurant in Edwardsville by volunteers to be then distributed to needy area children. Those pictured are (L-R) Ollie's owner Dave Tevet, Ann Januszewski and Peg Hogan both of All Saints Parrish in Plymouth. (PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER)Luzerne County Children and Youth Services already has 20 more children lined up for the program, director Frank Castano said, but securing long-term funding for the program is crucial.The board will seek funding from a combination of state and federal grants, corporate endorsements, foundation grants, and donations from social clubs and individuals, Tevet said. Tevet had the idea for the program after seeing a public service announcement by the Commission on Economic Opportunity on television. He learned President Barack Obama started an initiative to end childhood hunger by 2015, and consulted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommendations on ways to fight the problem. But he said he found the recommendations too broad, systematic and political. “I said to myself, there is a solution,” Tevet said. “If I give the kid a complete meal, a nutritious meal, it will solve the problem.” He also found that while schools offer free lunches to children from low-income families, fewer programs offer meals on the 200 days a year schools aren’t in session, and almost none provided meals for children to their homes with parents.  Ollie’s restaurant owner Dave Tevet helps volunteers from All Saints Parish in Plymouth assemble prepared meals for area needy children on Friday. Others pictured (clockwise from right): Josephine Madura of Hanover Township, Tevet, Dolores Prutzman of Hanover Township, and Ann Januszewski and Peg Hogan, both from Plymouth.Joe DeVizia, director of the county’s Office of Human Services and chair of the program’s board, said the program provides a service area children need.“The important thing is, kids were identified who are hungry; they just weren’t getting supper and it was noticeable,” DeVizia said. According to the Luzerne County Commission on Economic Opportunity, more than 10,500 children in Luzerne County are food insecure. The program is already making a difference. Tevet said he expected the program would help improve the health of the children it serves as well as their performance in school, but he said it has had benefits beyond his expectations. Parents appreciative He provided The Times Leader with copies of letters from parents and relatives of children in the program with the authors’ names redacted. “I am a full-time student and work a full-time job,” one parent wrote. “This opportunity has given my family and I more time together.” “The little ones try different foods now,” wrote the aunt of several children receiving meals from the program. “They all have a very good understanding of what a well-balanced meal can do for them. They are sleeping better. They also go to school and pay better attention in class.” “You know the phrase, it takes a village to raise a child? Well in my book that’s absolutely correct,” added Castano, director of Luzerne County Children and Youth Services. “The more community resources we can bring in to provide a service, the better off we are.” How to help  Joe DeVizia of county Human Services and Frank Castano of Children and Youth Services listen to Dave Tevet, owner of Ollie’s restaurant, discuss a food program he has devised for needy children. Pete g. wilcox/the times leaderDonations to the Dinner for Kids program can be mailed to Dinners for Kids, c/o CEO, P.O. Box 1127, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703.For more information, contact: David Tevet, Ollie’s restaurant, 84 S. Wyoming Ave., Edwardsville, PA 18704, 570-288-6609. |
