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Morality vs. Beaurocracy
Last year Big O qualified for Reduced Lunch. The best part about that was the free tutor who loved working with O as additional training, not remedial. This year we applied for the reduced lunch again but were denied because we made *just* over the limit to qualify.
A few weeks after school started, we got the tutoring packet again. I thought maybe they'd changed their mind and not told us, so I filled out the application and requested the same tutor. A few weeks after that I got a letter saying we didn't qualify for the tutoring service. I called to ask why I'd gotten the letter saying we'd been approved for the tutoring again, and the woman who answered said it must have been a mistake.
Two weeks ago I noticed Big O's lunch balance was exactly the same as it was in November. I talked to the school lunch person, thinking maybe O was giving the wrong PIN number and some other kid had been paying for her lunches, but no, O was giving the right number. Further investigation showed O was popping up as being on free lunch. Explains the tutoring application, at least. I told the cafeteria manager she wasn't on free lunch, that we applied and were denied, and she said "well, the county tell me you're on free lunch, so she's getting free lunch. I'd just keep quiet if I were you."
Well, we're not like that, because that's less money for spending on a kid who really *does* need it.. I called the county to see what's gone wrong, and they say according to their files O is not on either free or reduced lunch, and they have no idea why the school's getting the information that she is. Since the problem's not on their end, there's nothing for them to fix. The cafeteria manager again said the problem's not on her end, so there's nothing to fix.
I don't send O to buy lunch very often, maybe once a week, but this week she's been buying every day because Hubby's out of town and I don't have time in the morning to pack unless I get up at 4 am. No way. What would you do?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by mcglory13 on -
Can you take the money you would have spent on school lunches and donate it to a food bank instead? That would solve any moral issues about "taking" food from kids who need it.
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Permalink Reply by DLBK on -
You tried to fix the problem and nobody helped. Like everyone else has said, get that in writing, so you don't have to pay for the school lunches later.
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Permalink Reply by Herasmus B. Dragon on
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Good idea, will do.
mcglory13 said:Can you take the money you would have spent on school lunches and donate it to a food bank instead? That would solve any moral issues about "taking" food from kids who need it.
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Permalink Reply by mcglory13 on
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Also, my mom stopped making my lunch when I was in the third grade. I packed stuff myself, or I ate whatever. They weren't terribly concerned. I was lazy, so I had a lot of bagels with a slice of cheese, pre-packaged peanut butter crackers, etc. These days I'm a vegetarian food nut. Story ended fine.
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Permalink Reply by kommishoner on -
Maybe this is a dumb question, but do people just not go hungry in Canada? Because that's why we have school lunches here - because of the simple, stupid fact that some people do not have enough food.
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Permalink Reply by wookie on -
I think it is a lower percentage that go hungry (http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_chi_pov-economy-child-poverty). Now that graph is a straight comparison of household income against a national average, so I don't know what that translates to in "fact". It's just a bell curve, right? Some countries have a narrower or wider curve.
I don't know if it is a lower poverty rate in general or if we just have different access to food that is cheap at the poverty level. IE- do Canadians in general have better access to the PB sandwhich level of food than their American dopplegangers? If so, why? I've only ever been "grad student poor" so I'm not an expert on the subject by any means. I don't know what it is like to live with no utilities, no job, no shelter etc. I spent one extremely cash strapped summer working in a pizza restaurant, so I at least had one solid meal a day.
kommishoner said:
Maybe this is a dumb question, but do people just not go hungry in Canada? Because that's why we have school lunches here - because of the simple, stupid fact that some people do not have enough food.
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Permalink Reply by Meghan on -
You can also do a donation through Angel Food Ministries and.or order food for yourself of someone you know.
http://www.angelfoodministries.com/
I have been sending stuff to my sister who is working full time and going to school full time while raising three kids. She really likes the Just 4 Me after school box because it is food that is ready to go, and I like feeling like I am helping her and providing for the kids. They just started a No Child Goes Hungry breakfast box with easy to make stuff that could be eaten for lunch or donated to a child/family in need.
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Permalink Reply by GreenLantern on -
Something is screwed up in some system of theirs. I'd get everything in writing from them if I were you.
I'm not a fan of subsidized lunches, but of all the things that government spends money on, subsidized lunches for kids is probably one of the lowest things on my list of concerns. It's not like the schools are serving up filet mignon and garlic mashed potatoes for free. I'd feel better if the school lunches were free for everyone, not just those strapped for cash. Right now, with the new job, I'm commuting for work until we move. So, I'm doing a week away, and then a week working from home. My wife manages to get the lunches ready and takes the kids in. HOWEVER, she does not work. She doesn't have the commute you do. Being a working mom when your husband is out of town has to be extremely difficult. The only thing I could think of that might help is to pack the lunches the night before and keep them in the fridge, if that's an option. But then again, I don't live in your house. I don't know your schedule, so I don't know if doing things the night before is even an option for you.
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