Dinners For Kids

10/21/2026

🌟 Meet Our Guest Speaker: Zubeen Saeed!

We’re thrilled to welcome Zubeen Saeed as the guest speaker for our 2026 Annual Dinner: 15th Anniversary Celebration!

As Founder and COO of Building Blocks Learning Center, Zubeen has spent more than 25 years advancing early childhood education and creating opportunities for children, families, and future educators. What began as a small childcare program in her parents’ home has grown into a regional organization with 13 locations, more than 1,000 children served, and over 200 employees. In 2026, Building Blocks is also celebrating its 25th anniversary!

Her impact extends well beyond early education. Zubeen serves on several regional boards, including United Way of Wyoming Valley, the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, Wyoming Valley Children's Association (WVCA), and the F.M. Kirby Center. She also chairs the Diamond City Partnership Wilkes-Barre, helping advance the revitalization of downtown Wilkes-Barre.

At the heart of her work is a belief that every child deserves the foundation, resources, and support to reach their full potential. We’re excited to welcome Zubeen as we celebrate 15 years of bringing that belief to life through our mission of feeding children in our community!

📅 November 18, 2026 | 5:30pm
📍 Friedman JCC / JCA of Northeastern PA in Kingston
🎟 Get tickets here: https://givebutter.com/2026AnnualDinner

10/19/2026

🎙️ Meet Our Master of Ceremonies: Mike Duffy!

We’re excited to welcome Mike Duffy of 979X as our Master of Ceremonies for our 2026 Annual Dinner: 15th Anniversary Celebration!

With nearly 30 years in radio broadcasting, Mike has become a familiar voice in our region, bringing his personality and passion for connecting with people to the airwaves. A lifelong music buff, his journey took him from studying music at Marywood University to discovering his calling in broadcast communications.

Outside the studio, Mike is an avid runner, certified personal trainer, and running coach who enjoys staying active and coaching youth sports alongside his two children. He’s also a proud husband and self-proclaimed coffee aficionado, so we’re guessing he’ll be well caffeinated for the big night! ☕️

We’re looking forward to having Mike lead the celebration as we reflect on 15 years of nourishing children, supporting families, and bringing our community together around a shared mission.

Join us November 18 for A Crystal Harvest, an evening of celebration, connection, and gratitude for everyone who has helped make this mission possible! 💙

📅 November 18, 2026 | 5:30pm
📍 Friedman JCC / JCA of Northeastern PA in Kingston
🎟 Get tickets here: https://givebutter.com/2026AnnualDinner

10/16/2026

October 16 is both and , two powerful reminders of why our mission at Dinners for Kids matters so much.

Every child deserves access to fresh, healthy meals, yet too many in NEPA go to bed hungry. Through the support of our volunteers and community, we’re tackling childhood hunger head-on by providing chef-prepared dinners to over 240 children every single day.

Today, we pause to reflect on the global fight against hunger and recommit to making sure kids in our own backyard never have to wonder where their next meal will come from. 💛 Join us in this mission: https://dinners4kids.org/donate/

10/15/2026

Thank you to the Times Leader for helping spread the word about Dinners for Kids’ upcoming 2026 Annual Dinner: 15th Anniversary Celebration!

Since 2011, our volunteers, donors, and supporters have helped us put nutritious meals on the tables of children across NEPA. This milestone is a chance to celebrate how far we’ve come, recognize the people who make this mission possible, and look ahead to the work still to be done.

📰 Read the full article below and join us on November 18 at the Friedman JCC / JCA of Northeastern PA in Kingston for an evening of celebration, dinner, live music, and more! 🎟️ Tickets are available at https://givebutter.com/2026annualdinner

Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey over the last 15 years. We couldn’t do this without you! 💛

https://www.timesleader.com/news/1762127/dinners-for-kids-to-celebrate-15-years-with-a-crystal-harvest-anniversary-dinner

Dinners for Kids, a local nonprofit dedicated to fighting childhood hunger, is celebrating 15 years of delivering nourishment, hope, and stability to children facing food insecurity across the region. To honor this milestone, the organization will host its 15th anniversary celebratory dinner, A C...

10/13/2026

As we celebrate 15 years of Dinners for Kids, we’re excited to welcome some very special guests to the celebration.

🎤 Guest Speaker: Zubeen Saeed
Founder and COO of Building Blocks Learning Center

🎙️ Emcee: Mike Duffy
On-air personality and Program Director at 979X

We’ll also be honoring our founding volunteers who are still volunteering with Dinners for Kids today, celebrating 15 years of dedication to our mission and the children we serve. 🧡

Join us at the JCC in Kingston for an evening of dinner, cocktails, live music, celebration, and plenty of reasons to raise a glass to 15 years of Dinners for Kids!

🎟️ Tickets are available now: https://givebutter.com/2026AnnualDinner. We hope you’ll join us for this very special evening! 🥂

10/12/2026

Today, Dinners for Kids recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ Day by honoring the history, cultures, traditions, and resilience of Indigenous communities. We believe every child deserves access to nutritious food, care, and a community that supports them. Today, we celebrate the diverse communities that make our region home. 💙🧡

10/09/2026

🎟️ Raffle tickets are officially on sale! 🎟️

You don’t have to wait until our 2026 Annual Dinner: 15th Anniversary Celebration! to get your tickets, and you do not have to be present to win! Every ticket helps support Dinners for Kids and our mission to provide nutritious meals to children across NEPA!

Tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100, with some pretty incredible prizes up for grabs:

🍽 "Taste of the Valley" - $1,000+ Gift Card bundle to various restaurants in NEPA.

🔥 "Fireside Cheer" - $500+ value that includes a fire pit, various bottles of spirits, and a s'mores kit.

🦃 “Holiday Feast” - A Weis Markets Thanksgiving Certificate that includes everything you need for a Thanksgiving Dinner.

🎫 "Golden Ticket - A $500 Visa card to spend as you wish! Sponsored by Penn East FCU!

Whether you’re joining us for the Annual Dinner or cheering us on from home, you can get your raffle tickets now and have a chance to take home one of these awesome prizes!

🚨 Get your tickets and support Dinners for Kids > https://givebutter.com/2026AnnualDinner
*PLEASE SPECIFY WHICH RAFFLE ITEM YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR TICKETS ALLOCATED TO UPON CHECK OUT IN NOTES*

10/08/2026

October is Tackling Hunger Month, a cause that speaks directly to our mission at Dinners for Kids. Every day, children in NEPA face the very real challenge of food insecurity, and we are here to make sure they don’t face it alone.

Through the dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of our supporters, Dinners for Kids provides over 75,000 nutritious, chef-prepared meals each year to more than 240 children in Wilkes-Barre, the West Side, and the Back Mountain.

When we talk about tackling hunger, we mean breaking the cycle for children who deserve the security of a healthy dinner and the joy of knowing someone cares.

💛 Join us this month in the fight to tackle childhood hunger right here at home. 👉 Learn how you can help at https://dinners4kids.org/donate/

10/07/2026

✨ You’re invited! ✨

Join Dinners for Kids as we celebrate 15 years of fighting childhood hunger at our Annual Dinner, A Crystal Harvest. 💙

📅 November 18, 2026 | 5:30pm
📍 JCC in Kingston

Enjoy an evening of dinner, cocktails, live music, and celebration as we honor the people who have helped make 15 years of Dinners for Kids possible.

We’d love to celebrate this special milestone with you! 🎟️ Tickets are available now at https://givebutter.com/2026AnnualDinner

10/05/2026

We are absolutely blown away! 💙 A heartfelt thank you to Ruth's Chris Steak House - Wilkes-Barre and Metz Culinary Management for an incredible beneficiary donation from their 10th Annual Golf Classic. Together, they raised an astounding $99,273.56 to benefit Dinners for Kids.

We are incredibly grateful for this generosity and the impact it will have on children right here in our community. This gift will help provide thousands of nutritious meals to hundreds of children who count on Dinners for Kids to help put dinner on the table.

Ten years of this incredible golf classic, and what a way to celebrate a decade of giving back. We are so grateful to everyone at Ruth’s Chris and Metz Culinary, along with all of the golfers, sponsors, volunteers, and supporters who helped make this possible.

Thank you for believing in our mission, investing in the children we serve, and helping us continue the fight against childhood hunger. We truly cannot thank you enough. 💚⛳

With your help we were able to raise $99,273.56 in our 10th Annual Golf Classic, benefitting Dinners For Kids. Thank you for your continued support! ⛳️