Universal Free School Lunch.

 Hunger is a political issue, and there are several things politically that are keeping people hungry - not funding food stamps adequately, not funding school lunches adequately. So there is a political solution to the problem of hunger.

Tom Colicchio

    The article that I chose was “How School Lunch Debt Causes Shame and Inequality- And Our Fight To Abolish It”, by Melissa Duvelsdorf, Elizabeth Lester-Abdalla, and Nick Marcil. The authors of the article argue that school lunches should be a basic right and considered part of free public education, without consideration of income, and that creating lasting change comes from conversations and advocacy at all levels of government. The article reports that over 1.5 million students incur school lunch debt each year, disproportionately affecting students of color and working-class families. It also states that approximately twenty percent of households that do not meet the criteria for free or reduced lunch report being food insecure. The government has declared that funding for school lunches is the responsibility of individual families. Districts, cities, and towns rely on donations from corporations and private parties to pay their school lunch debt. Although this is helpful in the short term, it does not provide a solution to the problem.

The article lists numerous barriers to accessing free school lunches, both for the students participating in the National School Lunch Program and those whose household incomes are above the threshold for free and reduced lunch. The paperwork required to participate in the program is cumbersome and relies on parents being able to read the forms and provide income verification. This also includes newcomer families whose first language is not English or Spanish.  There is a stigma surrounding both participation in such programs, as well as the debt incurred by those students whose parents cannot afford to pay. Shame and guilt are common feelings from both parents and students who are incurring debt and/or participating in the NSLP. Parents feel guilty for not being able to provide for their families, students feel guilty that they are eligible for the program when others are not. Providing free school breakfast and lunch for all removes the stigma. 

It also mentioned the shame students felt when they were singled out for having school lunch debt when they were given alternatives to a hot lunch. 

Lastly, the article highlights the importance of advocacy at the district, city, state, and Federal levels to facilitate change. Having frequent conversations at school board meetings, city council meetings, and with state representatives will keep universal free lunches and debt abolition on the minds of those in power.

Universal school meals as a basic right. It seems obvious, but why isn’t it? Using  “The Culture of Power”, as a point of reference, it would seem that for the white, middle-class families in America who have determined the status quo, there’s no need for free lunch; they have financial stability on their side. Public school is paid for by taxpayers, and the majority of transportation is paid for, as well as sports equipment, textbooks, and other classroom necessities is included. Why then, are the meals in school not paid for? If I had to guess, it was the easiest thing to pass off to individual families. Also, items like equipment and textbooks can be reused, unlike meals.

Funding is a huge barrier to universal school lunches. Who will pay? What incentive does the Federal and local government have to begin paying, when so often private companies and organizations step in to pay off lunch debt? In the article, the authors reported that free universal meals during the Pandemic cost approximately 11 billion dollars annually. While I was reading this article, I kept thinking about how many billions of dollars oil companies receive in profit each year. In 2023 Exxon Mobil had a profit of 36 billion dollars, Shell’s profit was 28 billion dollars, and Chevron had a profit of  21 billion dollars. The article “Oil and Gas Companies Cash In Tens of Billions” describes this in detail. Imagine if some of that money was used to subsidize universal school lunches. 

I see the direct impact of costly school lunches every day in the school that I work in. Students are hungry, but not eating or if they are eating, it’s not enough and they cannot afford more. I always keep snacks and juice in my office and am visited daily by hungry students. Some come in complaining of belly pain and my first question is always “Did you eat breakfast?” So often, the answer is no. Hungry students do not learn well.