Free lunches at school

[rebeccajo 14]

Yes Charles, let's. Hows about you coming to volunteer for a week or so at my school.

Charles, are you listening?

I've BEEN a school volunteer. You would not believe what I have seen.

And our family qualified for free lunches at one point also. Because of a change in family circumstance.

Don't anybody go there with me about how the FEW little things our government does to support families are a drain on this nation.

If you as a government can take my son off to war, then you can damn bloody well feed him if we fall upon hard times.

[KarenCee 3]

Yes Charles, let's. Hows about you coming to volunteer for a week or so at my school.

Charles, are you listening?

I've BEEN a school volunteer. You would not believe what I have seen.

And our family qualified for free lunches at one point also. Because of a change in family circumstance.

Don't anybody go there with me about how the FEW little things our government does to support families are a drain on this nation.

If you as a government can take my son off to war, then you can damn bloody well feed him if we fall upon hard times.

Amen sister.

[Carolyn 1]

I am on the school board of my charter school, so I am quite familiar with school budgets...

Disco, you are mistaken if you think your AV budget is negatively impacted by school lunch programs. That federal money has to be separate from the rest of the budget--it can NOT be used for anything else.

That said, we could certainly have a good debate about how little federal money is actually spent on education (unfunded mandates, anyone?).

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

What I don't understand is this: If parents below a certain income level qualify for food stamps, then why would the kids' lunch not be covered by those food stamps? Lunch box. Brown bag. BYOF. The ####### they serve in most schools is horrible and unhealthy anyways. So, it's not like the free lunch program ensures a "nutritious, healthy, balanced diet" for all kids as some would have it. They should shut down the school kitchens altogether - they're a friggin' health hazard. Everyone brings their own lunch. Period. But back to the original question: Is free lunch at school deducted from the food stamps? Otherwise, it would appear that the taxpayer funds the food twice. Which would perhaps explain some of the obesity issue .

[Marilyn. 340]

What I don't understand is this: If parents below a certain income level qualify for food stamps, then why would the kids' lunch not be covered by those food stamps? Lunch box. Brown bag. BYOF. The ####### they serve in most schools is horrible and unhealthy anyways. So, it's not like the free lunch program ensures a "nutritious, healthy, balanced diet" for all kids as some would have it. They should shut down the school kitchens altogether - they're a friggin' health hazard. Everyone brings their own lunch. Period. But back to the original question: Is free lunch at school deducted from the food stamps? Otherwise, it would appear that the taxpayer funds the food twice. Which would perhaps explain some of the obesity issue .

if you look up the school lunch programs site.. it seems like they have strict guidelines on what is allowed to be served for these free or cost reduced lunches,,,

[Caladan 19]

Yes, that's the cause of obesity, exactly. The poor kids are eating two lunches!

The school lunch at least ensures a hot meal; if the school meals are unhealthy, that's a reason to make them serve healthier food, not get rid of them entirely.

[KarenCee 3]

I am on the school board of my charter school, so I am quite familiar with school budgets...

Disco, you are mistaken if you think your AV budget is negatively impacted by school lunch programs. That federal money has to be separate from the rest of the budget--it can NOT be used for anything else.

That said, we could certainly have a good debate about how little federal money is actually spent on education (unfunded mandates, anyone?).

When teachers have to go out and buy, out of their own pockets, classroom materials (sans books and workbooks) then something's terribly wrong with how education is funded in this country. When schools have to have fundraisers to afford agendas for students, playground equipment and other things that make school interesting, there's something terribly wrong. When children are begrudged a hot meal at school because of personal agendas, there's definitely something terribly wrong.

I just hope nothing happens to you folks that are so dead against this issue that might put you in the category of qualifying for government assistance...or your children a free meal at school.

[Disco 0]

Sorry meant to say eligible not illegible. I'm a terrible speller.

[Marilyn. 340]

What I don't understand is this: If parents below a certain income level qualify for food stamps, then why would the kids' lunch not be covered by those food stamps? Lunch box. Brown bag. BYOF. The ####### they serve in most schools is horrible and unhealthy anyways. So, it's not like the free lunch program ensures a "nutritious, healthy, balanced diet" for all kids as some would have it. They should shut down the school kitchens altogether - they're a friggin' health hazard. Everyone brings their own lunch. Period. But back to the original question: Is free lunch at school deducted from the food stamps? Otherwise, it would appear that the taxpayer funds the food twice. Which would perhaps explain some of the obesity issue .

if you look up the school lunch programs site.. it seems like they have strict guidelines on what is allowed to be served for these free or cost reduced lunches,,,

correct me if I am wrong but I am under the impression that the meals the kids get in the program are different from the ones they serve the other kids...

[Caladan 19]

yes, let's not have any personal responsibility anymore. just ask for a handout

Circumstances in even two-parent, middle-class, suburban, college-educated responsible homes can change. People lose jobs, or get cancer, or get in car crashes. My aunt's family qualified for the program for one school year because my uncle lost his job. They're not exactly irresponsible people: after that year, they got back on their feet, and my three cousin all got into top caliber schools for which their parents paid cash.

If they needed a free lunch for their three kids at one point in time, and they paid cash for a Princeton education, then it stands to reason that probably quite a lot of people who are well-off and generally good with money sometimes fall on hard times.

It seems like people are imagining here that the only kids that use this program are the offspring of someone single with fifteen kids who just keeps popping them out.

and how do you know that isn't the case?

here's the guidelines btw.

a family of 3 at 22321 gets free lunches, 31765 for reduced meal price

Statistics on the numbers of poor moms with fifteen kids for one. Two, I'm guessing that Marc is campaigning within his own community, and I doubt he's living in an area with a high number of single moms. I mean, they offered the school lunch program where I grew up, and we didn't have anyone popping out fifteen kids. Suburb of 35,000.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

What I don't understand is this: If parents below a certain income level qualify for food stamps, then why would the kids' lunch not be covered by those food stamps? Lunch box. Brown bag. BYOF. The ####### they serve in most schools is horrible and unhealthy anyways. So, it's not like the free lunch program ensures a "nutritious, healthy, balanced diet" for all kids as some would have it. They should shut down the school kitchens altogether - they're a friggin' health hazard. Everyone brings their own lunch. Period. But back to the original question: Is free lunch at school deducted from the food stamps? Otherwise, it would appear that the taxpayer funds the food twice. Which would perhaps explain some of the obesity issue .

if you look up the school lunch programs site.. it seems like they have strict guidelines on what is allowed to be served for these free or cost reduced lunches,,,

You're saying it's healthy, balanced and nutritious? Sorry for being a non-believer.

What about the double charge on the taxpayer?

[rebeccajo 14]

What I don't understand is this: If parents below a certain income level qualify for food stamps, then why would the kids' lunch not be covered by those food stamps? Lunch box. Brown bag. BYOF. The ####### they serve in most schools is horrible and unhealthy anyways. So, it's not like the free lunch program ensures a "nutritious, healthy, balanced diet" for all kids as some would have it. They should shut down the school kitchens altogether - they're a friggin' health hazard. Everyone brings their own lunch. Period. But back to the original question: Is free lunch at school deducted from the food stamps? Otherwise, it would appear that the taxpayer funds the food twice. Which would perhaps explain some of the obesity issue .

Every school kitchen I've ever been in was as clean (if not cleaner) than plenty of restaurant kitchens.

As to obesity and poverty, that's a very easy answer. Most of the foods within the shopping budget of the poor are laden with calories. Macaroni and cheese, weiners, baloney, etc. You get the picture.

Why are vegetables so expensive when farms are also eligible for government subsidy?

[KarenCee 3]

What I don't understand is this: If parents below a certain income level qualify for food stamps, then why would the kids' lunch not be covered by those food stamps? Lunch box. Brown bag. BYOF. The ####### they serve in most schools is horrible and unhealthy anyways. So, it's not like the free lunch program ensures a "nutritious, healthy, balanced diet" for all kids as some would have it. They should shut down the school kitchens altogether - they're a friggin' health hazard. Everyone brings their own lunch. Period. But back to the original question: Is free lunch at school deducted from the food stamps? Otherwise, it would appear that the taxpayer funds the food twice. Which would perhaps explain some of the obesity issue .

if you look up the school lunch programs site.. it seems like they have strict guidelines on what is allowed to be served for these free or cost reduced lunches,,,

If I'm not mistaken if a family is receiving food stamps, the kids are automatically qualified for free lunch. They are served the exact same lunch as the other kids...no one is discriminated against. I agree...most school lunches are gross. But to a kid that's hungry, it's fabulous. As to whether that amount is deducted from their food stamps (the cost of school lunches) I'm not sure of.

Obesity is not just a school lunch problem though. It's what these kids are given at home...as Mags pointed out...junk food. I know teachers that keep healthy snack stuff in their classrooms, for snack time, so that some of her kids won't go home ravenous. Sometimes the best meals our kids get ARE at school. How sad is that?

[Marilyn. 340]

School lunches must meet the applicable recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30 percent of an individual's calories come from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. Regulations also establish a standard for school lunches to provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, and calories.

School lunches must meet Federal nutrition requirements, but decisions about what specific foods to serve and how they are prepared are made by local school food authorities.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/AboutLun...LPFactSheet.pdf

[rebeccajo 14]

What I don't understand is this: If parents below a certain income level qualify for food stamps, then why would the kids' lunch not be covered by those food stamps? Lunch box. Brown bag. BYOF. The ####### they serve in most schools is horrible and unhealthy anyways. So, it's not like the free lunch program ensures a "nutritious, healthy, balanced diet" for all kids as some would have it. They should shut down the school kitchens altogether - they're a friggin' health hazard. Everyone brings their own lunch. Period. But back to the original question: Is free lunch at school deducted from the food stamps? Otherwise, it would appear that the taxpayer funds the food twice. Which would perhaps explain some of the obesity issue .

if you look up the school lunch programs site.. it seems like they have strict guidelines on what is allowed to be served for these free or cost reduced lunches,,,

You're saying it's healthy, balanced and nutritious? Sorry for being a non-believer.

What about the double charge on the taxpayer?

Double charge?

The kid ate one meal. He didn't eat one lunch at school and another at home.

Kids are clever but I still haven't seen one who can be in two places at one time.