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Growing & Cooking for Good

The PAL's beautiful and bountiful garden has helped to transform a crime-ridden area of downtown KCK into an outdoor learning lab for kids in the urban core.

Now we're planning to expand our program into a "Growing & Cooking for Good" initiative that not only impacts the hundreds of disadvantaged kids we serve each week, but equips them with skills and resources to serve the community for years to come.

How the PAL is teaching kids delayed gratification

Kids in the PAL Garden program learn all facets of planting, growing and harvesting foods and plants. Most importantly, they work alongside mentors (often police officers) that spend time helping them understand the value of hard work. Together, they realize that good things come to those who wait!

In today's fast-paced world, PAL programs give kids a chance to disconnect from negative influences and create new connections with mentors, police officers, and fellow students of different ages, schools and backgrounds. As they care for plants, chickens and bees in the garden, PAL students build a sense of accomplishment from their hard work.

Young kids learn old-world cooking techniques

Middle-school and high-school aged kids at the PAL can immerse themselves in our Healthy Cooking program, where they learn how to preserve and prepare foods that they're growing in the PAL garden.

Here, kids preserve meats from our smokehouse and learn to can fruits and vegetables from the garden. Often using old-world techniques, PAL instructors stress economical methods of food storage and preparation, and design simple recipes that kids can prepare at home.

Kids get a taste of service in action at the PAL

Produce from the PAL garden is often served at our weekly Community Dinners, where volunteers prepare and serve nutritious meals to 80+ kids at least one night per week. Kids in our PAL community service program (a required program for kids who want to enter our Driver's Education program) help prepare, serve and clean up these dinners alongside mentors, police officers and corporate & civic volunteers.

Volunteer to serve dinner

Interested in sponsoring our programs? Let's talk!

All of our programs are free for kids. And the PAL  relies entirely on private contributions and grants to fund these programs.  If you or your organization are interested in supporting the good work of the Police Athletic League of KCK, please let us know your interest areas, and we'll explore partnership opportunities!

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