GARDEN CITY — The first Ada County Boys & Girls Club was built in 1997 when there was a need to find a safe place for dozens of kids before and after school in Garden City.
Dozens have now turned into hundreds, and thanks to donations from local businesses and the community, the Boys & Girls Club in Garden City now has a new, $1.6M state-of-the-art kitchen and dining room.
“It's been a huge benefit for us,” Joey Schueler, Boys & Girls Club of Ada County, Director of Operations said. “Before we had this cafeteria, we were working out a multi-purpose room and that meant more small group rotations of the children through the meal service lines taking a lot longer and the noise and volume were a lot higher.”
Much like the growing Treasure Valley, the Boys & Girls Club has seen a spike in the number of kids.
“The valley is growing at a tremendous rate and because of that there are increased needs and increased service demands, particularly for families who might come from a lower socioeconomic threshold,” Schueler said.
The kitchen can accommodate up to 300 kids.
“We always say at the Boy & Girls Club, kids should have a castle and the Boys & Girls Club wants to be a castle for kids,” Schueler said. “This is such an excellent facility for kids to get highly-nutritional meals on a daily basis so they've really loved it.”