Posted on 07/14/2005 6:23:32 AM PDT by Born Conservative
TREVORTON — Jesse Anderson was clearly enjoying a chicken fajita, washed down by a slushy.
"I can cook but it’s too hot," the 9-year-old from Trevorton said.
He said eating lunch at Trevorton Elementary School on July 6 gave his mother a break.
Jesse sometimes gets to the breakfasts that are also part of the new free summer food program of the Line Mountain School District. He usually rides his bike or walks to his school.
Zack Robenolt, 11, also of Trevorton, said his older sister is usually asleep so he goes to the school for breakfast. He was having lunch with friends.
Tylor Pfeiffer, 10, of Trevorton, walks or sometimes rides his bike or skateboard to breakfast or lunch. His favorite foods are pancakes and sloppy joes.
The district began the program June 6. Breakfast is from 9 to 10 a.m. and lunch is from noon to 1 p.m. The meals are free to any district residents 18 and younger Monday through Friday through Aug. 19.
Food service director Karen Bucanelli said the school board decided to sponsor the program to ensure no kids go hungry in the summer. The district qualified by having at least 40 percent of students in one school receiving free and reduced cost lunches during the school year.
Nine-year-old Shannon Knarr, of Trevorton, said she sometimes comes for breakfast or lunch. She likes fajitas, chicken patties, tacos and pierogies.
"It’s good food. It helps my mom out. She doesn’t have to cook," Tiffany Clark, 12, said as she and her sister Rachel, 8, both of Trevorton, ate lunch. Tiffany likes the fajitas, the slushies and hot pockets.
A federal grant is providing funding for the program with the district reimbursed $1.56 for every breakfast and $2.74 for every lunch served.
In addition, the U.S. government provided more than $3,000 worth of food. Food not used can be carried over to the next school year.
The program is also open to district residents who attend parochial and cyber schools and who are homeschooled.
So far, the average for breakfast has been six with a high of 14.
Ms. Bucanelli had hoped for 40 for lunch. The average has been 18 with a top attendance of 34.
"With a lot of people on vacation the last week of June and first week of July, we are hoping next week it might level out," she said.
Menus change daily and contain the correct number of items and portions in accordance with U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines.
"We give kids what they like," she said.
She said, for example, cooks make ground beef into tacos instead of meatloaf.
"They also like barbecue," she said.
They served nearly 20 kids hot turkey sandwiches with corn. "We’re serving a hot meal and not just a sandwich," she said.
"One day we had a table full of high school kids who had a good time hanging out," she said.
Another day, two boys stayed to play a game of chess after breakfast. "It kept them off the street and exercised their minds," she said.
Three employees, including Ms. Bucanelli, prepare and serve the breakfasts and lunches with two working at a time.
They are paid through the federal grant.
Also working with the program are Brenda Snyder, head cook at Trevorton Elementary, and Lori Stiely, cook-cashier at the junior-senior high school.
While Ms. Bucanelli figured the district would lose money on the program, it isn’t losing as much as initially thought. She estimates it will lose $1,100.
"We had no idea how many hours it would take. We thought 10 hours a day and cut it to eight hours. Wherever we could cut we did," she said.
"We did buy fresh fruits and vegetables because it’s summer time. We will use the canned items this fall when the fresh prices go up," she said.
Unbelievable. Why don't they have this at my local school ... I don't want to cook either!!!
"It’s good food. It helps my mom out. She doesn’t have to cook,"
And what is mom doing if she is not cooking?
FReeping?
And school boards around here wonder why their bond issues keep getting voted down.
Amazing. Why have families - the schools can just become the family. There is so much wrong here I don't know where to begin.
I can see how some people find the thought of nuking a hot pocket to be too much trouble. I am obviously far exceeding what is required as a parent. I make 3 meals a day for my family. Oh the humanity! Where do I file my grievance?
Ping
It takes 8-10 hours a day to prepare breakfasts and lunches for an average of 6 kids!!!???
What are they doing...harvesting wheat and grinding flour for the pancakes and taco shells? Slaughtering cows and grinding their own beef? Tapping maple trees and processing syrup?
This is crazy!
A ten or twelve year old kid can fix his own breakfast and lunch, if there's food in the house.
The program is also open to district residents who attend parochial and cyber schools and who are homeschooled.
um..ok
My three are under the age of 4, but my 4 year old does "make" his bed.
I think that these kids probably don't have food in the house, sad.
In other words, there's always one employee being paid a union wage for sitting on her tush, and between meals, all three of them. Figure 3 or 4 hours of actual work being done (and that's with labor-intensive meals, lots of vegetable-chopping), while 24 hours of pay is collected.
What a racket!
They have this at our local school. Or did for the month of June. When anyone mentioned it to me, I said we have food. I would reather leave that to people who really need it. I know my kids would just be asking, "Is that all?"
I can see where you wouldn't want your kids fixing their own meals :-). Mine are willing to do just about anything to avoid having me fix the Casserole With the Beans Again.
The teenagers mentioned in the article probably just decided to hang out and eat free food, instead of going to McDonald's, but I wouldn't be surprised if the parents of the younger kids both wouldn't fix meals for them, and wouldn't purchase anything the kids could fix themselves. And why shouldn't they spend the grocery money on cigarettes and beer, if the school will provide 2 free meals a day, no questions asked?
What do they care, it's not their money. There is no incentive to be effecient. It brings home the old addage: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Most of the food they listed is most likely frozen and just heated to serve.
It's a cycle of dependancy that's generational.
Correction 4 year old will be 4 next month!
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