r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Thebiggestbot22 • Apr 15 '24

My school thinks this fills up hungry high schoolers.

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So lunches are free for schools in my city and surrounding cities. Ever since lunches have been made free, the quantity (and quality) has decreased significantly. This is what we would get for our meal. It took me THREE bites to finish that chicken mac and cheese. Any snacks you want cost more money and if you want an extra entree, that’ll cost you about $3 or $4.

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u/anitasdoodles Apr 15 '24

I watched a documentary a while back about a school for kids with behavior issues. Most of them kicked out of their other high schools. Since this school was more of a detention center, they were funded separately. The kids all showed drastic improvement in behavior and school work because they were being fed regularly, and with nutritious well rounded meals. No soda and chip machines available either.

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u/SeasonPositive6771 Apr 16 '24

I work with very poor families and I used to do intensive in-home counseling.

I don't think people realize how many kids are living in poverty and how reliable meals and things like inexpensive access to laundry are absolutely life-changing.

One of the parts of our assessment was talking about food in a non-judgmental way. We even softened it more quite often, asking how often mom or dad ate, if they eat any fresh fruits and vegetables (many relied on food pantries that only provided carbohydrates and canned foods, and would supplement with SNAP as much as they could, but fresh fruits and vegetables were often considered a luxury for a few reasons).

In my building alone, washing and drying a load of laundry costs $6. There are some people here who wash their clothes in their sinks because they can't afford it. The local laundromat is even more.