Chicken’s Kitchen offering free meals to kids everyday this summer

GRETNA, La. (WGNO)—With food prices getting very expensive for many parents, a restaurant in Gretna, Chicken’s Kitchen, is stepping up to help by offering free meals for kids this summer.

Even though school’s out for the summer, kids are still lining up for lunch, but not at school, and this isn’t your typical school lunch.

“Most of us agree that kids shouldn’t starve,” Marlon Chukumerije, Owner of Chicken’s Kitchen said. “If we look around, we can see people who need help and we wanted to extend a helping hand.”

Chukumerije is offering free meals to kids all summer long at his restaurant.

“If you come through once, that’s fine, if you come two, three, four, five days, that’s fine, you can come every day this summer if you want,” Chukumerije said. “We aren’t taking tabs, names, or pictures. It is all about feeding the kids, and definitely no purchase necessary. You don’t have to spend a dollar, just be a kid.”

Andrea Matthews, who lives in Gretna brought her sons in for the free summer meals.

“They’ve never had Chicken’s Kitchen before,” Mathews said. “It is a great idea to support the kids in the area. With the cost of food and the economy, it is hard feeding them right now.”

Just because the meals are for kids, it doesn’t mean that the portions are smaller either.

They are offering such food as red beans, macaroni and cheese, greens, veggies, cornbread, white beans, okra, ribs, fried chicken, fish, BBQ chicken and so much more.

“This is just something near and dear to my heart and it is fulfilling,” Chukumerije said. “I am fighting tears to see how happy these people are, and how much people really need this,”

Chicken’s Kitchen will be serving free lunches for kids everyday this summer. In addition they will be serving free breakfast for kids every day at their sister restaurant, The Coop in Gretna.

Chicken’s Kitchen was recently a James Beard Semifinalist.