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Edna and David Tevet, co-owners of Ollie’s Restaurant in Edwardsville, received a national award for their ‘Dinner for Kids’ program.

EDWARDSVILLE — David and Edna Tevet, co-owners of Ollie’s Restaurant on Route 11, recently received the 2015 Restaurant Neighbor Award from the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation in Washington, D.C. on April 14.

The Tevets received the honor for their “Dinner For Kids” program that provides six meals a day to Luzerne County children at risk of hunger.

Ellie Mannix, account executive at Fish Consulting of South Florida, handled the public relations for the NRAEF event. She said the award celebrates the outstanding charitable service performed by restaurant operators.

The Dinner for Kids program began in February, 2011. Currently, staff and volunteers prepare and deliver 37,000 meals annually for 120 children with 100 percent of the funds raised for Dinner for Kids — $250,000 to date — used for meal costs.

As a recipient of the Restaurant Neighbor Award, Ollie’s received $5,000 to continue supporting its charitable initiatives.

“Our program takes a step to level the playing field,” David Tevet said. “Doesn’t it make sense for us to help our community through our expertise, which is food? We hope one day there is going to be thousands of restaurants throughout the country providing this service, so we can get closer to ending childhood hunger. If we all come together, we will end childhood hunger.”

When the award was announced earlier this year, Tevet said Dinners for Kids delivers nutritionally-balanced dinner meals to children in need. He said in Luzerne County, more than 10,500 children are “food insecure.” Children who lack a nutritionally balanced diet are more likely to exhibit behavior problems, poor school performance, and impaired cognitive development.

Tevet said Ollie’s won a state award last year and now a national award.

The Tevets are hopeful many restaurants adapt the Dinner for Kids system. He said there are hungry children all around the country and the more programs there are, the more children will not have to go hungry.

The NRAEF (National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation), developed the awards program in partnership with American Express. The NRAEF said King’s College conducted research and found that the program has a positive impact on the participating children’s behavior and academic performance.