What families lost when the US lost universal free school meals

The hill ^ | 12/10/2022 | LUIS GUARDIA AND ANNA KING

[ChicagoConservative27]

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, federal policymakers acted quickly and decisively to make school meals available to all children at no charge.

This policy remained in effect for two and a half years. It was a game-changer.

Across the country, school nutrition staff reported numerous benefits in the Food Research & Action Center’s (FRAC) Large School District Report, including removing the stigma from program participation and eliminating school meal debt to the benefit of both families and school districts. The policy also helped address household food insecurity, which rose significantly due to COVID-19 and allowed an additional 10 million students to eat free meals at school each day.

[escapefromboston]

When I was a kid only really poor kids got the school lunch everyone else brown bagged it. Schools didn’t have soda machines either , no wonder why half the kids now are fat
It’s bread with some Peanutbutter and some jelly , not exactly rocket science

[Polyxene]

AMEN!

[DAC21]

They lost being irresponsible deadbeats counting on other people’s money?

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

Rush used to comment on this often. Also, most Americans are feeding their kids. EVERYWHERE President Trump goes 100,000+ people appear, examples of the millions of families who feed their kids w/o gov. These same families feed any nearby family that does not have enough food, and could care less about any credit for doing so.

[ealgeone]

Spot on.....should be called taxpayer funded meals.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Bastard communists.

What the hell does lunch - AND BREAKFAST AND DINNER - have to do with education?

This is completely out of scope.

Stop trying to do everything, you craven commies!

[systemjim]

The Hill is no better than CNN so can we stop treating it like a legitimate “news” source?

I agree!! I strongly dislike reading anything from The Hill--that worthless, leftest rag.

[FreedomPoster]

When you are taking from Peter to pay Paul, you can generally count on the support of Paul.

[firebrand]

They were disgusting when I was a kid. And they wouldn’t let you throw them out. Torture.

[PGR88]

Folks on the free-shit plantation need 3 square meals a day

[StAnDeliver]

"If the government would get off of family's backs... Wouldn't have this problem would we?"

Utterly lacking in meaning for anything more than Chat, and even that is being charitable.

You are way off the reservation lately. You want to go the way of Kaslin, keep it up.

[RWGinger]

What are families spending the SNAP money on WE taxpayers are giving them?

[PittsburghAfterDark]

I really have a hard time thinking this needs to be universal when it was being applied to private schools as well.

My wife and I shrugged when our parish school told us lunch was free all year because “COVID”.

I mean forget the fact that we were spending 5 figures on school, we needed free lunches from the county.

[combat_boots]

Food

[higgmeister]

Good grief!   Apparently, we have 50 Million school age children in the country.   They fed 10 Million children.   They fed 20% of school age children   Where is that in the United States Constitution?   This is criminal.   Let a school district do it or the community chest but these crooks in Washington DC need to go.

[RWGinger]

So IF they are spending money on food ( which is actually not often the case)
Why aren’t they making their own kids lunch like people who are getting SNAP?

[DLfromthedesert]

What happened to Kaslin?

[Ten Beers Gone]

In 2020, I lived about a quarter mile from an elementary school. I live in Maryland, outside of Baltimore, and it being the leftist cesspool that it is, the teacher's unions had schools closed post haste at the first sign of a sniffle. There was no learning going on - unless you count "virtual" learning.

However, I would pass the school early in the afternoon and there was a masked gaggle of people dutifully handing out lunches to the waiting queue of "needy" parents in late-model cars who, by the looks of them, missed few meals themselves.

Mind you, I am not against helping people who are unable to help themselves, but it pi$$es me off when I see tax dollars going to people who are able to take care of themselves but don't. Where I live the 2020 median household income, pre-Bidenflation, was over $75K! Were there really that many people who need "taxpayer-funded" lunches for their kids? I guess people figure if someone else is going to foot the bill to feed their kids, they can use their money to but necessities like cigarettes, tattoos and liquor.

I am 60, and I am old enough to remember when parents - even the ones who were poor - had too much pride to take a handout and didn't want their kids to be stigmatized. Now, with the touchy-feely leftist scum running everything, they've removed that stigma. Wouldn't want to offend anyone now, would we? I guess those of us who work for a living and provide for our own families are just suckers.

[TheWriterTX]

I had no problem cutting a check every month for my children to eat hot lunches at school. I’d usually drop $100+ per child per month.

My youngest ate free during COVID for almost 2 years.

I just waited until the program ended. Now, I’m back to writing checks again.

[dinodino]

Schooling is best done at home.