(こどもしょくどう)

children's cafeteria (free or cheap community meals for kids)

(ぜんこく)

nationwide; the whole country

(ひろがる)

to spread

(こども)

child

(やすい)

cheap / inexpensive

(しょくじ)

meal

(だす)

to serve, put out

(ふえる)

to increase; to grow

(ちいき)

region; area

(ぼらんてぃあ)

volunteer

(りょうり)

cuisine, cooking

(つくる)

to make

(つき)

month

(なんかい)

how many times / many times

(ひらく)

to open, to hold (event)

(ねだん)

price

(むりょう)

free of charge

(ひゃくえん)

one hundred yen

(ところ)

place; area

(おおい)

many

(さいしょ)

first, beginning

(せいかつ)

daily life; livelihood

(くるしい)

painful, difficult

(かてい)

household; home; family

(たすける)

to help

(はじまる)

to begin

(いま)

now

(くる)

to come

(ばしょ)

place

(おとしより)

elderly person

(おや)

parent

(いっしょ)

Together; at the same time

(たべる)

to eat

(きんじょ)

neighborhood

(ひと)

person / people

(はなし)

talk, story

(つづける)

to continue

(かんたん)

simple / easy

(たべもの)

food

(おかね)

money

(たりる)

to be enough; to be sufficient

(みせ)

shop, store

(のうか)

farmer / farm household

(やさい)

vegetables

(おくる)

to send / to take (someone somewhere)

(し)

city

(かす)

to lend

(おうえん)

cheering; support

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる/います. Can describe an action in progress or a state that continues from a past change.

To the extent that ~

Expresses degree or extent. Tickets are so popular that a lottery is needed — emphasizes the level of popularity.

in order to ～

Expresses purpose.

any- (anyone, anything, anywhere)

A question word plus でも means "no matter which one." だれでも来られる場所 is a place that anyone at all can come to, which is the point the article makes about how the cafeterias have changed.

potential form: can do ~

選べる is the potential form of 選ぶ ("can choose"), and 来られる is the potential form of 来る ("can come"). The article uses them to say students can choose their clothes and everyone can come to school.

however / but

Conjunction introducing a contrast. However, this year only 1.5mm fell.

nominalizing a verb phrase with の

Used in 「みんなの前で話をするのは初めてです」to nominalize the verb phrase so it can serve as the topic of the sentence.

Is not ~

Polite negative form of です. Used to negate a noun or na-adjective predicate. The price is not yet affordable.

therefore; for that reason

Connects cause and result — because of more investors and profits, more people buy stocks.

doing things like ~ and ~

Lists representative actions among several. Implies there are other actions too. Used twice in this article.

子ども食堂が全国に広がる

Children's cafeterias are spreading across the country

子どもに安く食事を出す「子ども食堂」が、全国で増えています。

"Children's cafeterias," which serve children meals cheaply, are increasing across the country.

地域のボランティアが料理を作り、月に何回か開きます。

Local volunteers cook the meals, and the cafeterias open several times a month.

値段は無料か、百円くらいの所が多いです。

In most places the meals are free or cost around one hundred yen.

最初は、生活が苦しい家庭の子どもを助けるために始まりました。

They started out as a way to help children from families struggling to get by.

今は、だれでも来られる場所になっています。

Now they have become places that anyone can come to.

お年寄りや親も一緒に食べて、近所の人と話をします。

Elderly people and parents eat together there too, and chat with their neighbours.

しかし、続けるのは簡単ではありません。

However, keeping them going is not easy.

食べ物やお金が足りない所もあります。

Some of them do not have enough food or money.

そのため、店や農家が野菜を送ったり、市が場所を貸したりして、応援しています。

For that reason, shops and farmers send vegetables and city offices lend them space, supporting the cafeterias.