For many children, school lunch is the main meal of the day.

[LuckyLib]

I was working in an urban middle school recently, commenting to teachers about how bad the school lunch was (none of them eat it). Working class kids -- the teachers mentioned that for many of them, this is it. The family expects them to eat as much as they can at school, supplementing at home at the end of the day. And I wanted to gag at the combination of rotten nutrition and poor quality food.

The economy has many folks feeling the ripple in many ways, not least of all, children.

:mad:

[uppityperson]

1. k&r for school lunches

[Dappleganger]

2. A friend of mine

who teaches special-needs kids quite often brings snacks for the kids to take home in their backpacks because she knows they may not get anything else at home. She hands them out on Fridays so they can have them on the weekends.

[LuckyLib]

3. I've heard of this -- teachers handing out food on Fridays for kids.

Makes me want to cry.

[Dappleganger]

4. Same here, and she's been doing it for years.

I swear this woman is a saint and know that there are many more like her who just try to help wherever they can. She's been known to buy shoes, school supplies and backpacks as well. She frequents a dealsite that I go to frequently in order to hit the best sales and clearance prices.

[w8liftinglady]

7. a few programs across the country

http://newstimes.augusta.com/stories/2010/01/27/new_564779.shtml
http://www.commercial-news.com/local/local_story_026012656.html
http://www.lemarssentinel.com/story/1603506.html

Once again,teachers are doing what they can to help their kids.

[livetohike]

5. Sadly, this is nothing new

When I taught in SC in the late 70's our school had a free breakfast and free lunch program. All of the students were on it :cry:. I saw the effects of poor nutrition on several of the students, sparse hair, poor teeth and gums, etc. It was heartbreaking.

[gateley]

6. That breaks my heart. nt

[shireen]

8. i feel angry too.

This is a very sad statement about our society. Children deserve the best. We have a duty to make sure they get the best. Oh wait, that's socialism ... :mad:

Are there organizations that specifically address child hunger?

[Brickbat]

9. I read recently, I can't remember where (mighta been here) about a school where a teacher noticed

that more parents were coming in to eat the available breakfast or lunch with their kids and thought how nice that was, until she realized it was because the parents had no food, either.

[troubledamerican]

10. Tell them to pick themselves up by their bootstraps