"The late winter air in this port city on Argentina's Atlantic coast is humid and cold, but just after sundown on an early September night it is not too chilly for youngsters to run and play outside at Mama Margarita House.

The Mama Margarita center is a chain of cinderblock buildings on a street given otherwise to commerce and storage. The buildings surround a modest courtyard, which contains a small garden. But mostly it serves as playground for the children for whom Mama Margarita is the primary source of regular meals.

The complex currently houses 26 full-time residents, ages 6-14, but the number changes month to month. Another 300 kids show up regularly for daily meals, plus lessons on subjects that range from reading and writing to baking and cooking."