Snow days deprive many students of food

[depakid]

Source: USA Today

As back-to-back snowstorms shuttered schools for the week across the mid-Atlantic states, parents fretted about lost learning time, administrators scheduled makeup days and teachers posted assignments online. But Marla Caplon worried about a more fundamental problem: How would students eat?

The two snowstorms that pummeled the region, leaving more than 3 feet of snow in some areas, deprived tens of thousands of children from Virginia to Pennsylvania of the free or reduced-price school lunch that may be their only nutritious meal of the day. The nonprofits that try to meet the need when school is not in session also closed their doors for much of the week, leaving many families looking at bare cupboards. And many parents working hourly jobs were unable to earn any money during the week, as the snow forced businesses to close.

Caplon is a food services supervisor for Montgomery County Public Schools, where about 43,000 children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. Some also get breakfast, dinner and bags of staple foods to take home for the weekend. The snow days meant children would get none of that until Tuesday, because schools are closed Monday for Presidents Day.

"We've been bothered by this all week," Caplon said.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-02-13-winter-weather-hunger_N.htm

[aquart]

1. Trying not to scream.

We let it get to this.

[givemebackmycountry]

2. Trying not to scream too...

THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, GO USA!, We're #1!, and kids go hungry because the only decent meal they get is when they go to school.
We should be hanging our heads in shame.

[virgogal]

3. Their parents should be hanging their heads in shame.

[Donnachaidh]

7. many times those parents go without in order to feed their kids

It's not fair to hang the fault entirely on them.

[Yupster]

44. I live in a fairly prosperous city - way above average for the state

I just looked up the school district stats.

48 % of the students are on free or reduced lunch.

I do not believe that there are just about half the families in this community that are so poor that they can't feed their own kids. And a parent would have to be pretty darn poor to be too poor to feed his/her own kids. Half the people in this city are not that poor. They just aren't.

I have never had a kid in public school and never will. I don't mind, as a taxpayer helping to pay for educating everyone else's kids. I don't even mind buying food for the kids whose parents are too poor to feed their own kids.

But asking me to feed half the kids in the city is abusing me as a taxpayer. Not as big of an abuse as throwing my money away to Afghanistan or Iraq, but it is abuse none the less.

This program was started to feed the kids whose parents were so very, very poor that they couldn't even feed their own kids. It has grown to something much more than that.

Google your own school district and reduced or free lunch and see what percentage of kids are on the program in your own community.

[superconnected]

50. In otherwords you came to brag about putting your kids through private school, and

you have no clue about poverty and the amount of poor people there are. So sweet you threw in how you don't mind paying taxes to feed the truly poor, but that generosity looked phony as heck. And, your post in total, ugly.

[ThomCat]

60. If 48% are on free or reduced lunches it is because

48% of families are so poor that they Qualified after applying and having their family income confirmed. :(

You are bragging about your family situation because you are so proud of being better off than other people. And you are jumping to conclusions so you can attack other families for not being like you. Nice. :eyes:

I was one of those kids who grew up on government food when I was a kid, and I knew other kids in school who were that poor too. But we sure as hell didn't advertise it to everyone else, so you weren't going to be able to look around and point fingers at us and pick us out of a lineup.

I'm sure it's probably the same today. Kids know they're poor, and they know that they're getting help, and they know that if people know they are getting help someone like you will show up to start accusing them of being bad people somehow. :(

That's not what poor people need. Being poor is already enough of a burden on people without you going out of your way to be judgmental and arrogant to make it worse.

[Yupster]

61. I guess the question is who is responsible for feeding kids

I believe a parent should feed his/her kids. I believe poor families are quite capable of feeding their own kids. I believe we should help the very, very poor families feed their kids until they are on their feet again.

So let's look at Midland, Texas.

We are one of the most inexpensive places in America to live. Our average home sold for $ 100,800 in Dec 09. Our unemployment rate ended 09 at 5.4 % .

The median family income in Dec 09 was $ 52,916.

You qualify for free -reduced lunch if you are a family of four making $ 40,793 or less.

So the question is should a family in Midland, Texas making $ 40,000 qualify for free lunch?

A family in Midland making $ 40,000 is certainly not very, very poor. Are they poor? Depends on your definition I guess. It's about 75 % of the average wage in town.

Is that what free lunch is for?

That's not what I thought. I thought free lunch was for those few families that are so poor that they can't even feed their own kids. That's not a family in Midland Texas making $ 40,000 a year.

I understand that $ 40,000 a year in New York City might make you very, very poor. It just is not that way in Midland. If you make $ 35,000 in Midland you should be able to feed your own kids. Is there a parental responsibility more basic than feeding your own kids?

[KamaAina]

63. Your username says it all.

Perhaps 48% of public school students (not 48% of all children) in your town qualify for free or reduced lunch because so many of you "yupsters" have taken your kids out of the public school system.

[Gormy Cuss]

64. What's the median income for a family of four in your community?

What percentage of households live in poverty?
What's the unemployment rate?
Those are starting points for judging whether 48% is too high or too low for your community.

I checked the stats for my local school district. The percents for free and reduced meals make sense for the demographics of the area.

[kimmylavin]

13. Why is that?

Are you honestly blaming the parents for being poor?

[liberation]

25. Blaming the victims... it has always been the American way

If you are poor is because you must have done something wrong, the rich are the virtuous... else god would not love them like he does.

[virgogal]

39. I had an extremely poor childhood. I know poor very well.

If potatoes were on sale we ate potatoes,macaroni---we ate macaroni. You get the point I'm sure.

My single mother always made sure there was food in the house,always. She would have sold the couches and chairs to make sure there was food.We often used the open oven door for heat but there was always something to eat.

One thing that astonished me in the article was that they gave out Rice Krispy Treats to the poor. Now that's great nutrition,isn't it? What a waste .

And by the way I never felt we were poor because we had done anything wrong,we just had about 10 years of extraordinarily bad luck. It happens.

Things gradually got better because Mom worked her butt off and we grew up and started contributing.

[No Elephants]

40. You can't envision anyone being poorer than you were? If you opened the oven door for heat, that

means (a) you were not homeless; and (b) the utilities were still on. To some kids, that's high living.

[virgogal]

41. My response was related to the original post. Homelessness was

not mentioned,nor was lack of heat.

It was all about food----that's what the discussion is about.

[DBoon]

42. Rice Crispies are pretty decent as breakfast cereal goes

and a diet of potatoes and macaroni equals malnutrition.

The school lunches are nutritionally balanced. What they eat at home on a poverty budget usually isn't - it's what is cheap and filling

School lunches started during the Truman administration. The military was shocked at the poor condition of draftees who suffered poor diets during the Great Depression. School lunches were a national security matter.

You can lecture the parents all you wish, but the reality of "individual responsibility" is a whole generation of kids growing up permanently stunted physically and mentally due to poor diets.

[AnneD]

52. DBoon...

thanks for bringing up the origins of the school lunch program. I too was a victim of childhood hunger and poverty. At one point, we were snowed in. It devastated Mom's meager budget and we could not get out. All she had was oatmeal, a little butter, canned milk. Mom told us that she went without so we could eat. There were none of the programs like we have today. It was so bad, you got a tan opening the fridge cause all that was in there was light. I remember eating oatmeal 3 times a day on a cardboard box table in a furniture bare house (we did have 2 beds). I was the oldest at 6 and just now at 55 finally started eating oatmeal again.

As a school Nurse, I am very aware of the lack of nutritious food for children. I call them my 9:30 headaches. I ask if they had breakfast and the answer is usually no. I always ask "If we were to open your refrigerator, what would i see. Usually that is when I find out how much food is there. Kids need the food programs. No child should go to bed hungry.

[Occulus]

65. I doubt just about all of that n/t

[nolabear]

22. They probably do. And that's part of the problem.

We shame the poor. We shame the addicted and the unable and the sick and old and just plain hopeless. We shame them and they hide and innocent children suffer. If we'd get over our moral outrage and suspicion of anyone who has problems, we could help. There are ways to help without enabling or shaming.

[Fire1]

24. WTF????

[bergie321]

32. They should

Just pull themselves up by their bootstraps right?

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. Hey how's that war on the poor workin for ya?

[bitchkitty]

36. Sure. Why aren't they out mugging people or

whoring their bodies to buy food?

All they need to do is pull themselves up by their bootstraps! People choose to be poor!

</sarcasm> not that it's really needed.

[WriteDown]

46. Prostitution is a victimless crime. nt

[bitchkitty]

55. The only people who believe that

are pimps, brainwashed hookers, and customers.

[WriteDown]

56. Obviously you haven't been on some of the DU pro-pro's threads...

It's unbelievable.

[bitchkitty]

57. There are those who say

that it can be a healthy choice, I disagree very strongly with that. I do think that it should be legalized and regulated, but that's another topic entirely...

[Javaman]

47. You need to work on your empathy skills. nt

[superconnected]

49. Pathetic response. Their parents are probably barely making rent to keep

the roof over their heads. And some are probably out of work and lost their homes too. And you can bet many are single parents. Infact your response was so pitiful, I'm simply putting you on ignore.

[ldf]

53. i will be the lone post to support...

too bad.

[superconnected]

58. To support the opinion that it's the parents fault that they're poor?

Actually I would call that opinion sad. Do you know how many middle class have lost their homes along with their jobs now and are out of unemployment? And that's the middle class, imagine being a single mom with 3 kids and the deadbeat dad doesn't pay support and she loses her job or she never made enough to begin with.

I can only imagine someone that would blame the poor for being poor to be a republican, so it just sort of stymies me, why you're here.

[Gormy Cuss]

62. Don't worry, the parents probably haven't held their heads up high in a long time

if ever. Low income parents are acutely aware of their inability to provide their children with adequate, nutritious food.

[dieselrevolver]

4. heartbreaking stuff

This is almost unfathomable.

If you want to feel even worse about this, read the comments at the usatoday.com link. Fucking right-wing idiots are blaming these families for "mooching" off the system and having kids. It's this lack of compassion and basic human decency that makes me worry about this country's future.

[Purveyor]

15. You can hear the "worthless moocher" comments daily on RW hate-radio, further some such as

Bootz advocate some form of 'means test' before citizens are allow to vote, i.e. can't be on public assistance, need to pass a basic civics test, etc.

No, if these bastards have a chance, there will be riots and more than just civil unrest in the streets.

[brentspeak]

5. Can we call this a soon-to-be 3rd World Nation yet?

[virgogal]

8. Have you ever been to a third world nation?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

19. I have been to many third world countries

And many parts of "real america" have an uncanny resemblance,

[liberation]

26. Have you been to an Indian reservation in America?

I have, and I have also been in plenty of 3rd world countries. The infant mortality rates in certain reservations rival parts of Africa, and the rates of poverty and alcoholism are off the charts too. But the worst part is seeing an once proud people reduced to such desperation and despair...

But then again, I am sure you'll find some creative way for blaming their circumstances squarely on them... shame on them for making all of us look bad. Right?

[izquierdista]

29. I've lived in two

And life there was more enjoyable.

[Javaman]

48. Yes, many. I also live right next to one. And your point is? nt

[UpInArms]

6. poverty rates are rising across the nation as the top "earners"

make more than 531 times the average wage of everyone else.

[Earth_First]

9. This is heartbreaking...

This makes me very, very sad.

[undergroundnomore]

10. I just saw this same

article.

As a teacher I can't tell you how many of our students rely on our daily free breakfast an free and reduced lunches. Often if a student is running late or his bus runs late they have to wait until lunch to get anything to eat. I try to keep dry cereal in my classroom in individual packs. It's not much but then again we are really forbidden to bring food into our room because it might attract bugs or even mice. That's why I keep my cereal boxes in bags hanging from a hanger in my closet. It helps. In the morning I stop by the cafeteria and pick up a couple of juices for kids who didn't get anything to eat at breakfast or maybe didn't get enough to eat.

There are students who go without during the summer months.


My school is not unusual. Sometimes parents fail to apply for benefits they may be eligible for because they feel ashamed to do so. Sometimes they are unaware that they may in fact be eligible. Occasionally a parent will sell their food stamp card for cash receiving far less than the value of the card.(very rare but I do know that a couple of our parents have done this and were charged with a number of crimes including child neglect)

Whatever the reason, it is always the child that suffers. My husband and I speak of this often and this is why we always make sure that we try to make a donation of food at our local food bank. We are able to do this only because we use coupons and match them up to sale items.

Please consider donating even a five cans of soup or buy $5 worth of bread from the day old counter (we eat day old bread to make our money go further) and bring them to your local food bank. In our case, we donate it to a local AME church that has an outreach service. Even small gifts like we give help others. Many food pantries across the country have bare shelves. Some people feel it's not worth donating unless it's a huge donation. That's just not true.

There were days when I was a divorced mother of two that we lived on peanut butter sandwiches and milk. So please help. Contact your local food pantry. Waiting for the government to act doesn't put food in the tummy of a child.

[Purveyor]

14. You are an angel and maybe I'm just in an emotion state right now but your post filled this 53yr old

man's eyes with tears.

My god how this country has weakened.

Bless you and Godspeed.

[undergroundnomore]

17. thanks

I'm not that much younger than you. I don't know if I'm an angel. I do know that we are our brother's keeper. If I truly should do unto others as I would have them do unto me then I always keep it in mind where my roots are. I grew up poor. My ex husband cleared out the bank account and left me with two kids to raise on my own. I had to put my pride aside and apply for food stamps and ADC until I could get back on my feet. The story is long but eventually I went back to college and received my degree. I used to think I grew up poor until I taught in an inner-city school for five years. I really began to understand that there were always people who had it worse than me.

I teach high school and I work hard to keep kids in school, help them find money for college, and let them know that where they are is a stopping point, not a finishing point. They have potential that is yet untapped and I can't wait to see their greatness as they live their dreams.

Still I would ask others to donate even just $5 worth of food because it really does help. Handing the pantry $5 can be good but I will tell you that with coupons and sales I was able to buy over $400 worth of food this past Christmas season but only paid about $100. It might not seem like a lot but each person can do their share. The government takes forever to move (take a look at healthcare) In the meantime children are going without every night in this country.

[Luciferous]

18. Great advice!

[nolabear]

23. I've been holding onto my last heart for days, wondering who to give it to.

It's yours. You rock. And every year on my birthday I give a check in the amount of my age to the local food bank. I should probably do more.

[undergroundnomore]

33. If each person

did just a little bit then it truly would help. The idea of giving a check in the amount of your age is a wonderful idea. I remember recently reading about a young girl asking everyone to bring canned goods to her birthday party instead of gifts so they could be donated to a food bank.

Hunger in America is real. I've taught school through three administrations Democrat and Republican and the result is always the same. There is still hunger in our country. The people hurt the most are children. Each party gives lip service to solving the problem but every day throughout Clinton, Bush, and yes even Obama, some children come to school because that's the only hot meal they get all day. Sometimes it's the only meal they get all day.

We as a people need to care about each other enough to say, you know, I was going to go out to dinner or see a movie but instead I'm going to donate some food to a food bank. Little sacrifices go along way and mean so much for children who, through no fault of their own go to bed hungry. You don't have to be rich to help. I'm just a school teacher supporting my family. I am not alone. I could tell you of countless stories of teachers paying for kids lunches or helping them get their cap and gown for graduation. All the while we are dealing with furloughs and cut backs but we don't lose site of the fact that we are teachers because we truly care about the children.

BTW Thank you so much for those hearts. It is very sweet. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this site and the people who come here. I have learned so much and felt such great support. That is a gift you have given me.

[CoffeeCat]

37. I live in a very nice suburb...

...and I at my child's elementary school during the day. I was in the office, and I overheard the secretary telling a mom
that her child's lunch account was not just empty but overdrawn--and that her check had bounced. I tried not to listen, but
it was impossible not to hear. It was obvious that the mom on the other end of the phone was distraught and the secretary was
trying to console her. I looked in my wallet and I had $40. I told the secretary that I couldn't help but overhear, and that
this was for the parent on the other end of the phone. I asked her to please not tell who gave the money--and I told her that
I didn't want to know who was on the other end of the phone.

She thanked me and she said, "You have no idea how much this helps and how often this is happening."

Again, I'm in a very nice suburb. I look around at the manicured lawns and the three- and four-car garages and I can't imagine
in which house this family-in-crisis lives.

Poverty and financial troubles have spread to nearly all income levels. With jobs lost, massive debt incurred and the soaring cost
of healthcare---no one is immune.

[420inTN]

11. This really sucks, but so does the in-post ad

The "1 Simple Rule to a Flat Stomach" advert is both insensitive and offensive.

I know that the ads are context driven, but still...

[Earth_First]

12. What's even more insensitive is that politicians call this "food scarcity"

:mad:

[lib2DaBone]

16. The system is so fragile and screwed up.. even a snow day means kids don't eat...

..Yet we pour Billions into Afghanistan military strikes.

People chant, USA...USA..USA...

Bullshit.. we are not number one... we are not even number ten.

[ColesCountyDem]

20. This is why I tell the other board members that I don't CARE if we make 'extra' food...

I'm on the boards of both our local 'soup kitchen' and food bank, and I continually have to remind my fellow kind-hearted-but-short-sighted board members that the 10 meals-a-week that the school district provides are ' *contingent* sustenance' : those meals are ONLY available 9 months each year and ONLY on 'attendance days'. Kids need to eat 3 times each day, every day of the week, regar5dless of whether the school is having an attendance day or not!

When school's not in session for whatever reason, the kids STILL need to eat! Grrrrrr.....

[nolabear]

21. Oh, God. Welcome to America.

It's so easy to forget how much pain we don't stop from happening. No one in this country should be hungry.

[wellstone dem]

27. Thank you for this post.

I work with the poor, and still I learn and am reminded about how what is an inconvenience for me, tips another family over the edge.

Thank you.

[ananda]

28. Oh God that's sad.

Just so sad.

[DesertFlower]

30. it's not just the children.

meals on wheels can't make deliveries to people who rely on them.

[undergroundnomore]

34. That's true

we are a country where the elderly cut pills in half because they can't afford their prescription and sometimes have to make the choice between eating and medication. Meals on wheels does far more than just deliver a meal. For some of the elderly people the program serves, this is the only human contact they get. It's sad how often we turn our back on the elderly.

[CountAllVotes]

43. they do the same to the nonexistent disabled

sadly some of the disabled can live to be quite old. If they become disabled at a young age this sets the stage for an entire life of isolation. :(

:dem: :kick:

[bergie321]

31. Gawd Bless America....

My home sweet home........

[Hestia]

38. These are the very children who needs to be reached, given seeds and some pots

and taught how to grow food. Now is the time to do it before they recess for the summer months, which is when the crops are at their peak harvest. Is there any Master Gardeners or community gardeners who could teach outreach gardening to these children? Hunger is great motivator and the only problem I can see is maybe the kids nurture too much in their eagerness to have food this summer.

Edit to add: no till gardening would be the best for children, yes it does take awhile, but children should only be given tools they are able to handle. No till is way to go.

[superconnected]

51. Bet nearly all of their parents don't own homes and can't even afford to rent a house.

These sound like apartment dwellers or projects dwellers.

[Xenotime]

45. WTF country is this?!?

[madokie]

54. I know this is true

and its a crying ass shame that anyone in this country is ever feeling hunger pains, it sucks. I was raised where that school lunch sure was good to have. Damn the greedy bastids anyway. Rich have more than they can ever begin to use and only want more and could give two shits for who or what they have to fuck to get it. Like I said earlier its a crying ass shame we allow this shit to continue.

[bamacrat]

59. Depressing. n/t

[kestrel91316]

66. What parent feeds or clothes themselves BEFORE they feed their children?