School Lunches

[Mickfarland4]

Yes, we live in a relatively high need area. Many kids do not eat when at home. This year the district provided free breakfast and lunch to all students in any school where more than 60% of the kids qualified for free or reduced lunch which is my sons school. Even though we do not need it the way other kids in his school do it is still a tremendous blessing. They also have a backpack program like another poster mentioned, to send canned goods home each weekend to students who have been identified as in need for those kinds of services. Also during the summers/other long breaks the schools that have over 60% of their students on free or reduced lunch still serve breakfast, lunch and some of them even serve dinner. Anyone under 18 is able to come eat for free whether or not they go to the school. Too many children are hungry at home and I'm so glad my sons school is taking steps to help their students who need it. It's something so simple and easy to fix.

Do they keep the backpack program discreet as to not make the kids feel bad? Just curious, as I know how kids can be although, I think it's fantastic!

 

[Mickfarland4]

You probably had food in your home as a child and parents who were willing to give it to you.

Many children go to school hungry every day because parents can't (or more commonly won't) provide food for them at home. Hence the breakfast at school and the afternoon snack. In my kids' school, over 50% of the students are free-lunch eligible. Teachers do everything they can do insure that kids get as much healthy food as they can during the school day, because they don't get it at home; this includes a relatively heavy "snack" at the end of the day to try to tide them over until the next morning, when they can get a breakfast at school. I'm in the process of trying to start a weekend backpack program to send those kids home with food on the weekends because a lot of their parents don't provide them with food all weekend. Can you imagine going from Friday at 5 pm until Monday morning with nothing to eat? That's what a lot of these kids experience because they're either alone (mom or dad leaves them unsupervised), don't have a responsible adult to get them food, or don't have any food in the home to get themselves.

No. I cant. This is terrible

 

[Tiffylv]

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[BLAZEY]

I pack DD6 a lunch everyday when I make mine. Our schools don't have a cafeteria, so they can't buy lunch. The kids also eat at their desks. Once a month the PAC does a Hot Lunch fundraiser and we do order that if she wants. No PB sandwiches for her as she has a kid with a tree nut allergy in her class this year. It's usually raw veggies, granola bar, apple slices, banana, yoghurt, goldfish or string cheese as sides, and leftovers in a thermos. Chili on rice, chicken broccoli casserole, Kraft Dinner, tortellini with butter & parmesan, wieners & beans. I make batches and freeze in thermos size portions, defrost the night before and heat that morning and put in the thermos.

 

[angierae]

DD21 always bought lunch. We did the math, and buying her stuff to take was going to cost more than the $3.50 a day buying hot lunch + a snack cost. I just put $35 into her lunch account every payday and we never had to think about it.