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String of snow days deprives many students of food
hosted ^ | Feb 13

Posted on 02/14/2010 6:42:42 PM PST by JoeProBono

TAKOMA PARK, Md. (AP) -- 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.

(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...


TOPICS: Food
KEYWORDS: food; globalcooling; jpb; maryland; schoollunch; snowmageddon; snowstorm
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To: guido911

You are doing the right thing. And it does a body good to actually help someone. It doesn’t do any good (from a Christian perspective) when the government has programs that end up helping people who should be helping themselves, or encouraging behaviors that are self destructive. The Bible doesn’t direct us to vote for a program to help someone. It directs us to do what you’re doing.


61 posted on 02/14/2010 7:15:01 PM PST by brytlea (Jesus loves me, this I know.)
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To: ltc8k6

Staple foods?

beans, flour etc? If they are too lazy to cook, they could starve.


62 posted on 02/14/2010 7:15:14 PM PST by GeronL (Dignity is earned from yourself. Respect is earned from others.)
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To: RushIsMyTeddyBear

63 posted on 02/14/2010 7:15:30 PM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: padre35

I simply load up on bagels, bread, tortillas, tomato sauce, chili powder, brown rice, peanut butter, canned corn, soy sauce and dried beans. Healthy and good for you, and will never spoil.


64 posted on 02/14/2010 7:15:48 PM PST by TypeZoNegative (Pro life & Vegan because I respect all life, Republican because our enemies don't respect ours.)
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To: JoeProBono

Tell Mom to get off the crackpipe and make some dinner!


65 posted on 02/14/2010 7:15:56 PM PST by mylife (Opinions: $1.00 Halfbaked: 50c)
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To: JoeProBono

That kid is pointing at Daddy’s hamburger “You gonna finish thatr?”


66 posted on 02/14/2010 7:16:04 PM PST by GeronL (Dignity is earned from yourself. Respect is earned from others.)
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To: JoeProBono

illegals’ kids...


67 posted on 02/14/2010 7:16:20 PM PST by shield (A wise man's heart is at his RIGHT hand;but a fool's heart at his LEFT. Ecc 10:2)
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To: cripplecreek

I do also.


68 posted on 02/14/2010 7:16:56 PM PST by sport
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To: TypeZoNegative

bagels, bread and tortilla do so spoil. heh.


69 posted on 02/14/2010 7:17:23 PM PST by GeronL (Dignity is earned from yourself. Respect is earned from others.)
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To: guido911
The moral of your story is that Americans tend to be generous to a fault when the benificiaries are deserving, and the charity is voluntary.

This has been the history of the country until the "Progressives" of the early twentieth century began to convince people that charity was a governmental responsibility. That's when society began to decay.

70 posted on 02/14/2010 7:17:46 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: cripplecreek

Good point LoL!


71 posted on 02/14/2010 7:18:13 PM PST by mylife (Opinions: $1.00 Halfbaked: 50c)
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To: JoeProBono

Shoot, coming up McDonald’s was once every other week on payday now it is like a catered meal for some folks.

I just don’t buy into the “no school lunch=starving children” mantra.

First things first...absolutely NO sugar laced cerals for breakfast..screws up children’s metabolism.


72 posted on 02/14/2010 7:18:42 PM PST by padre35 (You shall not ignore the laws of God, the Market, the Jungle, and Reciprocity Rm10.10)
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To: guido911

God bless you for doing this.


73 posted on 02/14/2010 7:18:47 PM PST by thecodont
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To: guido911; kittykat77

Your example is not an accurate representation of the school lunch program. In many areas, over 50% of the student body is “entitled” to free or subsidized meals.

The school systems aggressively recruit for the program due to the dollars received from the feds.

Sure there are those who need help. We are compassionate people in this country.

But it is grossly unfair and inaccurate to chastise us when we correctly point out the corruption of a compassionate ideal into a nightmare such as the school lunch program.


74 posted on 02/14/2010 7:19:33 PM PST by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s, you weren't really there.)
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To: GeronL
It's just the general sense of I-don't-give-a-shitism from some of the commenters in this thread.

As my beloved Earl says, Karma minds. If you begrude food to some undernourished kids now, don't be surprised if the world doesn't volunteer to change your dirty adult diaper when you're a drooling senile old bastard.

75 posted on 02/14/2010 7:19:52 PM PST by kittykat77
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To: TypeZoNegative

Exactly, the concept of a pantry is so lost on Amerika 2010, hard times will come one had better be prepared for them.

I’d toss in some Tuna or something though..beans and rice..rice and beans...


76 posted on 02/14/2010 7:20:38 PM PST by padre35 (You shall not ignore the laws of God, the Market, the Jungle, and Reciprocity Rm10.10)
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To: guido911

Thank you, Guido911. I agree wholeheartedly.


77 posted on 02/14/2010 7:21:29 PM PST by kittykat77
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To: GeronL

I forgot to delete that part when I edited that post.


78 posted on 02/14/2010 7:21:48 PM PST by TypeZoNegative (Pro life & Vegan because I respect all life, Republican because our enemies don't respect ours.)
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To: kittykat77

No one is begrudging undernourished kids any food. They are begrudging their wallets being pickpocketed by a government agency desperate to justify its existence. That is all that is going on here.

The fact is that families that poor get food stamps and other things, they are not going to starve because of a snowday, they always survive weekends just fine. Nobody has died from lack of school lunches as far as I know.


79 posted on 02/14/2010 7:22:23 PM PST by GeronL (Dignity is earned from yourself. Respect is earned from others.)
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To: padre35

80 posted on 02/14/2010 7:23:30 PM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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