UNION COUNTY — The doors to their dining rooms may be closed, but this is not preventing Union County restaurant owners from opening their hearts to hundreds of local children during the COVID-19 crisis.

The restaurant owners are a key part of a new program run by Emergency Equipment Solutions, a nonprofit emergency response organization that is providing free dinners to children this April throughout Union County while schools are closed due COVID-19. The program, Kids Immediate Dinner Solutions — KIDS — delivers a free dinner each week to any child in the county age 12 or younger whose family requests one.

Those supporting KIDS include the La Grande McDonald’s, which is donating 1,000 eight-ounce cartons of milk each week, and Spring Roberts, the owner of Le Bebe Cakes Bakery Coffee House of La Grande, who helped found the program and is one of its leaders.

“She is playing an integral role,” said Valerie Odai of Elgin, a leader of Emergency Equipment Solutions.

Odai said the objective of KIDS is two-fold — to help children and local restaurants during the COVID-19 crisis.

She said children need help because although government programs are doing an excellent job of providing free lunches and breakfasts for youths, they are not able to provide dinners.

“We want to fill this gap,” Odai said.

KIDS also is providing dinners to the children of health care professionals and first responders. Children age 12 and under are also being provided one free dinner a week. This is being done to relieve their parents of some of the added stress they are experiencing during the COVID-19 crisis, Roberts said.

Certified teachers are volunteering to deliver all the KIDS meals weekdays between 3 and 7 p.m. Roberts said that makes sure only people cleared to work with children are bringing them meals.

Restaurants also get a boost. KIDS is paying establishments $5 for each meal they prepare for the program. The assistance, Odai said, is richly deserved.

“They have done so much for the community and now it is time for us to help them,” Odai said.

One or two local restaurants cook the dinners each weekday. So far, Bud Jackson’s Eatery and Taps, Side A Brewing, Raul’s Taqueria, Cinco de Mayo Family Mexican Restaurant, Thai Fresh Gardens, Dusty Spur Cafe, Local Harvest Eatery and Pub and Mamacitas International Grill, all in La Grande, are participating, as is Cowboys and Angel’s Place, Elgin.

These restaurants, although they closed their interiors because COVID-19, are offering curbside pickup, delivery or both.

Emergency Equipment Solutions has no corporate financial support so it is focusing on locally owned restaurants and corporate owned. Odai also said corporate-owned restaurants “are not hurting as much.”

Roberts said although KIDS is benefiting local restaurants, it would not be possible without their help and cooperation.

KIDS provided 224 free meals to children last week, during an unadvertised soft launch. Odai expects the number of meals to increase to possibly 1,000 per week as word gets out.

Copies Plus, La Grande, is helping with that. The business printed hundreds of copies of fliers about the program for no charge. La Grande Main Street and Women, Infants and Children also is supporting the program.

“I expect it to grow astronomically,” Odai said.

Anyone 12 and older in the households receiving a meal purchase the same meals for $5. Roberts said if enough funding is raised, older youths could be delivered free meals.

“We would love to expand it to those age 18 and under,” she said.

Odai has been moved by how quickly people throughout the county have stepped forward to help the program. However, she said the program needs more donations to keep going. For information on making donations, text Odai at 541-663-6050.

Roberts said she has been heartened by how people have rallied together to support KIDS and its cause.

“At the end of the day it is about saving lives and spreading hope,” Roberts said.

Editor’s note: An addition was made to this article since was published April 7.