 Bunkum Road Kids Cafe and Lansdowne Community Center are two programs run out of the same building, by the same
staff. The Kids Cafe has been operating since December of 1997 and the food pantry
opened its doors in September of the following year.
Don Baden, a professor of education at
Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville and director of both  aforementioned
programs, has been working in the East St. Louis community for 12 years. He started
out by focusing a portion of his curriculum on East St. Louis and working on ways to
improve the area. The idea and practice eventually blossomed into a major enterprise
in Washington Park.
Since January 2001, Bunkum Road Kids Cafe
and Lansdowne Community Center have drawn 35,454 pounds of food from the St. Louis Area
Foodbank. Bunkum Road serves over 1,000 meals per month to children in need through
its after-school program. And the food pantry (Lansdowne Community Center) helps
over 400 families each month.
The Washington Park Public Libraray, and
Americorps also operate their programs out of the same site. All of the programs in
the building help share the cost to run the Kids Cafe and food pantry. The building
has had an interesting and spotted history. It used to be and adult club, and before
that, it is rumored to have been a house of "ill repute." Bunkum Road,
Lansdown and Americorp have done an amazing job to refurbish the building and make it
suitable its clients. However, due to the condition and age of the building, more
money is needed for repairs.
Dr. Baden acknowledges that money is the
biggest challenge to operating the two programs. Since the site is located in an
economically disadvantaged area, donations from outside of the community are needed.
Donations would be used to repair the building, purchase supplies for the kids, and
most importantly to help support the Kids Cafe so they can continue to provide
nutritionally balanced meals.
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