Due to the resort nature of Cape Cod and high cost of living, many families are faced with seasonal poverty as jobs related to tourism, and other seasonal work, are reduced or non-existent during the winter months. Many of these families with children have annual incomes at or below the poverty level and often lack access to enough food. To partially meet the needs of the children most schools on the Cape offer both free and reduced lunch and breakfast programs. However, on the weekends or during vacations children often go without adequate food. Often the children return to school hungry and as a result have difficulty learning.

In 2014, after hearing about children facing weekend hunger in two schools in Dennis, Ezra Baker Innovation and Wixon Innovation, Grace Church of East Dennis sought out a solution.  Through their research they learned about a national organization called Blessings in a Backpack (BIB).  Grace Church, along with a few private donors and in cooperation with BIB, established Cape Kid Meals (CKM).  CKM began delivering individual, pre-packaged bags of food that were discreetly placed into the child’s backpack before weekend dismissal.  

As of 2024, Cape Kid Meals has expanded to serve 44 schools across the Cape and over 1,700 children weekly.