FRANKLIN, Ind (WISH) — The Boys & Girls Club of Franklin is trying to help make sure kids in their care are reaching their potential and become productive community members.

That can be a challenge when 1 in 4 children at the club are coming in hungry. According to its research, that same ratio of kids is coming from a family income of less than $11,000 a year and the club’s operators see more than 200 children a day.

It’s a problem Natalie Fellure with the Boys & Girls Club of Johnson County and volunteer Abigail Shuck wanted to waste no time trying to fix.

“I called my mom and I was like, ‘Mom, we have to fix food,’ and Natalie called her mom,” Shuck said.

“Some of our kids really need that meal,” Fellure said.

With the Feed the Kids program, the staff and volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club are feeding children daily and teaching them how to cook and apply those skills and tools in their homes. The club’s operators also send children home with leftovers to share with their families.

However, as the word continues to get out and more kids want to be a part of the program, they’ll need more volunteers.

“We need a lot more now,” Shuck said.

The club also is building a kitchen at the club for meal preparation.

“We’re going to need volunteers to donate food, to donate their time, to prepare food and serve food.”

The club’s operators plan on providing meals for the children a minimum of two nights a week. Volunteers will make meals at home and bring them to the club to feed the children.