BY KRISTA RAMSEY The Cincinnati Enquirer It's a myth that children aren't good at keeping secrets. They keep some secrets very, very well. Hunger is one of them. Skip the cafeteria thing at school and no one will know you qualify for a free lunch. Fill up with cheap junk food when there's no money at home for the nutritious stuff. Get used to being tired and lethargic. People will just say you're lazy. Poor children get along that way. But once in a while, their secret comes out.
''Can I go home and wake my little brother?'' she asked, after she was finally full. ''He went to bed hungry.'' Suddenly, childhood hunger was real for Mrs. Cooley. It was standing right in front of her. She could not turn her back. Within weeks, she had persuaded her church to serve one dinner a week to hungry children in the neighborhood. The church continued the effort for more than a year on its own. This week, it became the third site for a venture of the FreeStore/FoodBank called Kids Cafe. The name pretty much says it all. It's a place where hungry kids can get an evening meal with no red tape. Spaghetti, pizza, salad, dessert, with a helping of love on the side. Each week, up to 80 children spoon it up at the Newport site, and 60 more at cafes in East Walnut Hills and Over-the-Rhine.
Huge responsibility''I think this will be fun for kids,'' says 10-year-old Daphnie, who has brought two small cousins and eaten ''every single thing'' on her plate. ''They'll laugh and holler and no one will do anything mean to them.''Daphnie has figured out what else is so special about this place. It's safe. A place to relax, let down your guard. Children can simply be what they are - small, vulnerable, noisy, trusting, messy, hungry. ''To take this on is a huge responsibility,'' admits agency services coordinator Connie Lapujade, as she passes out plates of spaghetti. ''To be here every night you say you'll be here is a huge responsibility. You're feeding these children, but you're also building trust.'' In East Walnut Hills, the Black Male Coalition builds trust four nights a week in its Kids Cafe. As at the other sites, dinner is followed by something else - tutoring, mentoring, crafts, puppet shows.
National trendKids Cafe began in Georgia in 1989. Two boys were caught stealing food at night from a community center. When questioned, one boy said simply, ''My brother's hungry.''Today, in response to that ''crime,'' Second Harvest Network and local food banks have opened Kids Cafes across the United States. They lack the clink of crystal and china. The noise level is a bit high and the mystique a bit low, but they earn five stars - and smiley faces - from most of their customers. ''Most kids like to dress up when they come here,'' Daphnie says, keeping a sharp eye on her roving cousins. ''They ... want to look pretty when they come.'' So they bound in, week after week, for a warm meal. For the pleasure of having someone remember their name. Sometimes for a small bag of fruit and toiletries to take home. And for the chance to feel safe and well, if only for one night. ''This is a good place to come, not a place for anybody to be ashamed of,'' says Connie Lapujade. And so it is. If you or your family would like to volunteer at Kids Cafe - to help fix a meal, clear tables, or simply spend time with a child - call 482-4527. Reservations available, no waiting for a table. Krista Ramsey's column appears on Saturdays. Write her at the Enquirer, 312 Elm St. Cincinnati 45202.
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