C4KK now has kitchen space to hold bulk items
and that’s exactly what’s been done. Today I thought I’d give you an approximate break down of how much food C4KK uses on a weekly basis. The amounts will vary depending on how many kids are there….right now the 10th-11th graders are away at school and in February 5 more kids (the new 9th graders) will be leaving for secondary. But in April all the secondary students (9 kids) will be at C4KK so amounts will increase.
Tea leaves – .2 lbs The kids have tea every morning for breakfast and Ann makes tea 6 nights a week after dinner. This is “British” tea, meaning they make it with milk, water and tea leaves
Milk – 5 gallons This is mainly used for tea purposes. The kids normally drink water with their meals or juice if Ann purchases it
Bread – 25 loaves They will eat 5 loaves per day for breakfast and a couple of days Ann makes donuts instead of having “loaf” (that’s what they call bread)
Wheat flour – 26 lbs This is used for making chapatti (which they have once a week) and the breakfast donuts
Eggs – 90 They will begin to have eggs approximately 3 times per week for breakfast
Rice – 29 lbs This is a staple food and is eaten about 4-5 times per week
Soy pieces – 3 lbs Soy is a new item for the kids and they really like it and I like they are getting another source of protein
Spaghetti – 12 lbs No pasta sauce for the kids, they simply boil the spaghetti and add tomatoes, onions, etc. for flavor
Beans – 26 lbs They either have red or black beans throughout the week. Githeri (another staple food) is normally served on Sunday and it consists of beans and maize
Maize flour – 21 lbs This flour is mainly used for making ugali (flour and water cooked together to form a cake-like consistency)
Maize – 11 lbs Used in githeri
Green grams – 9 lbs A veggie much like a pea, but smaller.
Meat – 7 lbs Ann purchases beef (bone in) once a week for the kids.
Sugar – 18 lbs This seems a bit high in my opinion and we are working with Ann on bringing the consumption of sugar down.
Then throughout the week there is the purchase of onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, ginger and other spices and veggies. Also from the shamba (garden) they get tomatoes, sukuma and cabbage. Ann will also begin purchasing fruits, she’s partial to apples, for the kids to have during the week.
We are estimating the food we purchased in bulk to last at least a month and that (along with the cost for cooking the food) was approximately $890. Which, of course, doesn’t include the fresh stuff (i.e. fruits). As we move forward we’ll get a better grip on those costs and at that time I can give you all a better monthly estimate of food costs for C4KK. If you’d like to help with this monthly cost, either with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our secure donation site to set up your gift (please choose “Children’s Shelter (C4KK) and Farm Project” from the Allocation drop down list).
Thanks everyone!