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I grew up in a very impoverished, but very proud area. Kids usually get their first job at 14 to help pay for their school food and fees (even our public school

I grew up in a very impoverished, but very proud area. Kids usually get their first job at 14 to help pay for their school food and fees (even our public school had fees for basically every elective you took - and you were required to take multiple electives per year... not very elective, if you ask me). There was a number I heard years ago (after I graduated, and went back to work for the school district), that high-90s% of the students met the reduced/free lunch, but only 10% took it. My mom and dad paid for all 4 of use to have our lunch at full price even though my mom and dad together brought home under $30k for most of my childhood. Even now, the school district actually offers free lunches to ALL students regardless of income levels, and again, very few families have signed up for it.

andrepd 3y ago
It's beyond dysfunctional that this happens in the richest country in the world. Money is a means and not an end, if you cannot ensure a decent childhood for your country's children (while less wealthy nations manage much better), what is even the point of so much economic growth?
legitster 3y ago
I know we are sharing anecdata from walking up the hills both ways but I'll add my own. I went to the Peoria Illinois school district. You can look it up - it was one of the poorest, worst performing, most underprivileged school districts in the state (outside of south Chicago and East St. Louis). I was on the reduced lunch program (40 cents a meal). But even we had a pretty boring affair of canned peaches and vegetables with lima beans with our Salisbury steak. Also, the application for reduced lunch was included with the registration for the school so uptake was pretty high. At the time the district was legally compelled to feed kids whether they paid or not, so they were incentivized to maximize the reimbursement from the federal government to defray the costs.
- jermaustin1 3y ago
  If we didn't have money, our "free lunch" was a peanut butter sandwich. The problem is (at least in elementary and junior high) you probably weren't sure if your parents even paid the school for lunches. So you would get to the end of the line, select your entre, apple, and milk, and then put in your pin, and the lunch lady will take your tray back, and hand you a peanut butter sandwich (no jelly). Not sure what the free lunch is now days, but probably not peanut related.

andrepd 3y ago

It's beyond dysfunctional that this happens in the richest country in the world. Money is a means and not an end, if you cannot ensure a decent childhood for your country's children (while less wealthy nations manage much better), what is even the point of so much economic growth?

legitster 3y ago

I know we are sharing anecdata from walking up the hills both ways but I'll add my own. I went to the Peoria Illinois school district. You can look it up - it was one of the poorest, worst performing, most underprivileged school districts in the state (outside of south Chicago and East St. Louis). I was on the reduced lunch program (40 cents a meal). But even we had a pretty boring affair of canned peaches and vegetables with lima beans with our Salisbury steak. Also, the application for reduced lunch was included with the registration for the school so uptake was pretty high. At the time the district was legally compelled to feed kids whether they paid or not, so they were incentivized to maximize the reimbursement from the federal government to defray the costs.

jermaustin1 3y ago
If we didn't have money, our "free lunch" was a peanut butter sandwich. The problem is (at least in elementary and junior high) you probably weren't sure if your parents even paid the school for lunches. So you would get to the end of the line, select your entre, apple, and milk, and then put in your pin, and the lunch lady will take your tray back, and hand you a peanut butter sandwich (no jelly). Not sure what the free lunch is now days, but probably not peanut related.