Minneapolis Star Tribune — Sizzling summer temperatures and stifling humidity would have most kids seeking sanctuary inside an air conditioned room.
That’s where you would have found Jacob and Puoch Weidnaar, the SCTimes reported. With a PlayStation 4 controller in one hand and pizza rolls and macaroni and cheese within arm’s reach, it would have been very hard to convince these teenagers — or most kids their age — that a world existed outside their bedroom walls.
But most weekdays during the summer, the Weidnaar boys have abandoned their PlayStation controllers. They have exchanged them for time outside shooting hoops and hanging out with friends.
It’s a pleasant side effect from a program started by feeding hungry kids.
The Yes Network is nonprofit organization designed to feed students in low-income neighborhoods. Started by Jerry Sparby in 2011, the program has expanded its mission to get kids like the Weidnaars outside and playing with their peers.
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Sparby said the St. Cloud State vendor contract with Sodexo, a partner of the Yes Network, was not renewed effective July 1. Without that contract, Sparby was concerned where his organization was going to operate. Not to mention, the Sodexo partnership brought in $20,000 in donations to the Yes Network.
But Sparby said the new St. Cloud State vendor, Chartwells, has agreed to continue the work laid out by its predecessor. Sparby said Chartwells made a $10,000 donation to the organization, which serves 22 sites across the St. Cloud area, including sites in Rockville and St. Joseph.
Read more:http://www.startribune.com/nonprofit-builds-community-in-st-cloud-by-feeding-students/389443641/
