VALDOSTA — America’s Second Harvest of South Georgia Inc. has received state recognition for its work in feeding the area’s children.

Frank Richards, chief executive officer, was one of seven honorees across Georgia to receive the 2009 Big Voice for Children Award.

“Each of this year’s honorees are making a difference in a variety of ways and in a range of communities,” said Suzanne Detlefs, chair of the board of Voices for Georgia’s Children in a press release. “These ‘Big Voices’ are thinking outside the box to find creative solutions to support children. And they’re doing this during difficult times when many others may get frustrated and quit or decide to narrow their focus.”

The nomination came as a surprise to Richards, he said. To be eligible for the award, a person is nominated by a member of the Georgia legislature or a member of the Voices for Georgia’s Children board of directors.

The goal of Kids Cafe, a now national program that started in Valdosta, is to provide a hot and nutritious meal to children, he said.

Richards and Robert Soper, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta, developed the idea after realizing many of the children reporting to the after-school program were hungry.

That and the fact that many relied on the reduced and free lunches at school to provide them with the only meal they would eat all day served as the inspiration for Kids Cafe.

“We want to make sure they grow up healthy and lead productive lives and be productive citizens,” Richards said.

By the end of the first month of Kids Cafe, the food bank and the Boys and Girls Club were feeding more than 300 children, a huge jump from 50 children originally in the program.

When parents found out their children could receive academic help as well as a nutritious meal, more started sending their children to the program, he said.

The food bank, in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, now operates 22 Kids Cafes in eight counties that feed 1,700 children a day, Richards said.

The partnership is now nation-wide with Kids Cafes in Boys and Girls Clubs across America.

Richards began work at Second Harvest as a sophomore in college in 1993. In 17 years of work the job has never been boring, he said.

“I don’t feel like I come to work,” Richards said.

The constant need to do the job better and create new ways to raise money and feed an ever-increasing number of people requires the organization and people working within it to constantly recreate themselves to face the ever-growing challenge, he said.