Schools: More Students Getting Free Lunch (80% Increase)

[OhioChick]

Source: AP

80 Percent Of Schools Report Increase

POSTED: 9:25 am EST December 11, 2008
UPDATED: 9:27 am EST December 11, 2008

WASHINGTON -- There is such a thing as a free lunch. And school districts across the country report that kids are eating many more of them as the flailing economy hits families hard.

The National School Lunch Program fed more than 30 million children in the 2006-07 school year with federal and state funds.

According to the School Nutrition Association, which represents workers who provide the meals, almost 80 percent of schools surveyed by the organization are reporting an increase in the number of free lunches served this year.

Crystal FitzSimons of the Food Research and Action Center in Washington said more families are signing up for free school lunches for their children as they look for ways to trim their food budgets.

"One of the easiest things families can look to for support is the school nutrition program," she said.

Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Children from families with slightly higher incomes are eligible for reduced price meals, which were also being served at higher levels. The organization said an average of 425,000 more students are participating in the programs overall.

As those numbers rise, schools could feel their budgets stretched as well.

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/money/18253208/detail.html

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:wow:

[Robb]

1. Er

Looks like 80% of the schools surveyed showed an increase of some amount, not an 80% increase overall. Still noteworthy, however.

Edited to add: the story does not tell us the nature of those increasing numbers, either... growing enrollment? I guess I'm off to read the study itself.

Edited again: Ah, some numbers. 30 million children fed by the program, 425,000 more signed up this year than last. No indication what the previous numbers were.

Sorry. I'm not making light of what is likely an important story, I just hate poor reporting.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

2. Sadly, public education seems to be the first thing on the chopping block

when towns need to balance their budgets. I don't think this bodes well for the free/subsidized lunch program.

[skooooo]

5. Bring back the workhouses and orphanages.

We're heading in a Dickensonian (Dickensian?) direction!

[Quantess]

9. Gotta earn yer keep somehow.

please sir, may I have another?

[Rhiannon12866]

10. I believe it was "Please, sir, may I have some more..."

I think the other refers to a fraternity initiation...:D

[lonestarnot]

11. "One boy for sale." or was that someone else?

[KansDem]

3. Well, the banking and finance industries got a "free lunch."

So why not some of our nation's students?

:sarcasm:

[ChromeFoundry]

4. Sign of the times. n/t

[Azlady]

7. So very true :0( n/t

[Joey Liberal]

6. The legacy of Bush nt

[awoke_in_2003]

8. This is alarming....

And I wonder how many kids do not take advantage of the programs even though they qualify. I got free lunch for several years while growing up, and it was always embarrassing to go through the line and just give your name while everyone else was paying. But that is not the point. Here in Texas we give a shitload of money for high school football programs. Here is a two year old stadium our school district built- it seats 12,000 people (the population of North Richland Hills is 68,000):
http://www.birdville.k12.tx.us/FAAC/
This compliments an older facility (3 miles away) that seats at least 9,000. And we are not an oddity- stadiums like this (and much larger) exist all over the state. Yet, we cannot find a way to feed (or educate) our children

on edit: getting around the embarrassment issue is easy. If you can afford to pay for your lunches, your parents pay for the lunches for a week ahead of time. That way, all students go through the line and just give their names.

[Bigmack]

12. Are there no workhouses?

We must stop those young freeloaders from taking Murikans' hard-earned tax dollars. And don't let the school budgets include paste, either... those kids will just eat it!

:sarcasm: