Posted on 06/02/2010 8:31:11 PM PDT by Gennie
Published Wednesday June 2, 2010 By Dennis Friend WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
COUNCIL BLUFFS -- The summer lunch program begins Monday at Council Bluffs district schools.
This year, adults who accompany the children also will be able to eat for free.
Virginia Bechtold, the school district's nutrition services supervisor, said a group called Hunger Free Heartland prompted the change this year, and the Mutual of Omaha Foundation and the Food Bank of the Heartland will pay for the adult meals.
"The Food Bank of the Heartland offered this to us," she said.
Comparisons of June lunch averages over a three-year period show about 550 children showed up for the free lunches each day in 2007, while 800 ate the lunches in 2008 and 752 children did so in 2009.
This year's numbers should be much larger, she predicted, partly because of more students in summer school and partly because of an increased participation by day care and other groups involving children.
Meals will be provided by the federal Summer Food Service Program every Monday through Friday, although no meals will be served July 2 or 5.
The lunches will be served at the following elementary schools: Bloomer, 210 S. Seventh St. until July 30; Franklin, 3130 Ave. C, until July 30; Roosevelt, 517 N. 17th St., until July 30; Walnut Grove, 2920 Ave. J, until July 30; and Washington, 207 Scott St., until July 7.
Lunches will be served at Thomas Jefferson High School, 2501 W. Broadway, until July 30 and at the Carter Lake Boys and Girls Club, 4105 N. 17th St., until July 23.
Breakfast will be available at Bloomer, Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Walnut Grove until July 1.
No paperwork or proof of income will be required and no local funds are used, Bechtold said.
It's a federally funded program. Children from toddler through age 18 may participate, because "all kids need a nutritious meal. We don't ask questions, they don't have to fill out applications," Bechtold said.
Federal regulations require all meals to be served and eaten on site. Sanitation rules mean shirts and shoes are required, and Bechtold said a clean, safe atmosphere will be maintained at the sites. Anyone engaging in unruly or disruptive behavior will be expelled permanently from the program.
Bechtold said it's clear to her that the need exists. The number of students in the district who qualified for free or reduced-price lunches rose from 54 percent at the start of the 2007-08 school year to 62 percent, or 5,777 students, by the end of the 2009-10 school year, Bechtold said.
Liberals destroy everything.
Daddy Government at its best....the only thing you could have done is check off which State this was in...otherwise good job!
" It's a federally funded program. Children from toddler through age 18 may participate, because "all kids need a nutritious meal. We don't ask questions, they don't have to fill out applications," Bechtold said.
I thought schools were perpetually out of money... and yet the can afford to feed non-students.
They’re free to thank me anytime for paying for their “free” meal.
I got the same flyer and explained “free lunches” to my g/kids that live with me. They “get it” now.
As if "federally funded" wasn't taxpayer money... Doofus!
Great article for a first post. Very disturbing implications.
IN comparison, Cuba last year ended it’s multidecade long free lunch program for adults, apparently just in time for the Obama Dept of Education and Dept of Agriculture to start it up in the USSA.
Free and reduced lunches are paid for by the Feds
Did you know that it's illegal for state governments to audit these programs?
Actually, there's a formula that "allows" a percentage of around 2 percent of recipients across locales to be audited anonymously, but the federal regs actually forbid governments from oversight of these programs they administer, to find out, for example, whether parents of new students are "guided" into lying about their income in order to inflate the numbers of those eligible?
Pretty sweet gig for SEIU, et.al., eh?
The free summer lunch program for children has been going for years. They ought to subcontract the lunches to Subway and have a real summer school enrichment program at the schools, but that would involve real learning. Can’t have that!
http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/about/index.html
They seem to have a HUGE staff for a Food Bank.....wonder where they DO get their money, outside of local donations....here's their last Financial Report....where they get about $586,000 from USDA.....they have $7,000,000+ in Assets...
http://www.omahafoodbank.org/documents/09annualreport.pdf
Then there is FEEDING AMERICA (formerly Americas Second Harvest, I think) and a "donor" to this food bank and others........here's a little ditty from their website....
Bridging the Gap Between Friday’s Lunch and Monday’s Breakfast May 12, 2010
"Today in America, nearly one in four children struggle on a daily basis with hunger. Federal school breakfast and lunch programs curb their appetites during the school week, but many families have little help to rely on over the course of the weekend and holidays. Two days without adequate food can do a lot to hinder [...]"
I'm sorry, but I am SICK and TIRED of hearing 1 in 4 children struggle with hunger daily....yeah...they're hungry in the morning when they wake up (I always was)...and just before lunch, and just before dinner, and even before bedtime.....!!! Foodbanks are great...for the TRULY needy...but I have a sister who has used them, and she tells of the WASTE and problems...
These idiots are doing no favors for the adults getting the free lunches when they should be out looking for work or contributing to the economy in some small way.
This means prime or filet with the use of their food stamp money! There should be no need for those gubmit classes on home budgeting for the poor. Not!
I’m a diabetic and I demand that they modify the program for me. LOL I’m sure some Muslim participants will demand Halil meals and they will get them or I don’t know government!
Well WHAT do the poor in the U.S. have to pay for? Free section 8 housing, welfare, food stamps, free breakfast and lunch at school, free medical care, etc. Seems like they’d have a LOT left over for essentials like tennis shoes, cell phones, flat screeen TVs, engraved nails and designer clothes. No wonder we have morbidly obese poor people.
Meals will be provided by the federal Summer Food Service Program every Monday through Friday, although no meals will be served July 2 or 5.That's inhumane - these folks will starve on those two days. Send in emergency backup!
It's a federally funded program.What a relief. Here I thought it was a government-funded program - it turns out to be funded with free money!
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