Anonymous wrote:

^ Agree. Why volunteer when you need the money that a job provides? Isn't this just common sense?

Not the OP, but I am in a similar situation, I can't make enough per hour to justify the expense of extra child care after school and during summers. I have not found a job that will allow me to work only while my children are in school, and most low paying jobs are not very understanding of 10 missed days for snow or kids being sick. My husband has a very demanding job, travels extensively so I have no help or backup, we do well financially so I am not complaining...

To the OP, I am on our PTA board, in our school, requests go through the principal for things like school supplies, yearbooks, tutoring, field trips, he approves all requests and tells us how many kids we need to pay for / sponsor. The PTA board has no idea who is receiving financial help. I don't know if admin, teachers and counselors have access to the info, but the feeling we get from the principal is that the recipient list is very guarded and private.

This is why I got a job as a preschool teacher in a morning program, 9-12. I make $16 as a lead teacher, and I believe that the assistants make $10-$12/hour. I work only while my kids are at school. I have summer, winter break, spring break, holidays, and snow days off. It has been perfect. Look around for opportunities. Now is the time that schools are trying to hire for next fall.

You people are unreal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, I forgot to mention, I actually am aware of the relation to obesity and poverty. I was just being sarcastic because of some of the comments people are making about kids being starved. Nobody is starving unless the choice is made to starve in these schools.

If you are aware of the relationship between obesity and poverty, then you are presumably also aware that it is possible to have insufficient or inadequate food, some or all of the time, without being actually starving.

And you are also probably aware that in American English, people commonly use the word "starving" to mean very hungry.

And I'm well aware that insufficient food is because the parents neglect to provide it, not because of lack of means. Because of poor choices by the parents.

Oh look, Carol Gaither is posting on this thread!

With her remarkable ability to determine exactly how others should be allocating their limited resources for food, local woman Carol Gaither is considered to be one of the foremost authorities on what poor people should and should not have in their grocery carts, sources said Thursday.

As verified by multiple eyewitness reports from supermarkets across the Northampton area, the real estate agent and mother of three is capable of scanning the contents of any low-income person’s basket and rapidly identifying those items which people like that don’t need to be buying, based on the products’ nutrition and cost. Additionally, Gaither, 48, is widely regarded as a leading expert in determining which groceries they would purchase instead if they had any common sense or restraint.

“There’s no reason she should be loading up on those pricey TV dinners if she’s getting the government to pay for it,” Gaither told reporters at a local Super Stop and Shop, training her prodigious faculties on a welfare recipient using a benefit card in front of her in the checkout line. “If I were on food stamps, I’d just buy two whole chickens and a bag of potatoes—you could feed a family for a week on that and still have money left over.”

“All that junk she’s buying is just loaded with sugar, too,” said Gaither, identifying with uncanny speed another critical flaw in her fellow shopper’s grocery selection. “No wonder her kids are acting out like that.”

Sources said that Gaither, in addition to being a noted scholar of how the indigent squander her tax dollars at the supermarket, is able to detect with astonishing frequency instances in which poor people claim they are unable to pay their own grocery bills yet, seconds later, pull out a brand-new cell phone that’s far nicer than the one Gaither herself owns. Moreover, as one of the most respected voices concerning the poor’s flawed eating habits, Gaither reportedly possesses the ability to instantly assess when people on public assistance keep coming back to the same fatty foods that pretty much explain how they came to look like that in the first place.

Despite her stature, Gaither has never shared her insights with any of these individuals, sources confirmed.

“The other day, I saw a woman who bought a box of name-brand Frosted Flakes because, apparently, the generic kind wasn’t fancy enough for her,” said Gaither, swiftly and decisively calculating that bagged cereal would have cost half as much. “And guess who’s going to be paying the difference in the end?”

“But then again, what do you expect?” Gaither added, making eye contact with the reporter.

As noted by her acquaintances, Gaither’s unrivaled expertise extends far beyond her appraisal of poor people’s shopping lists. Indeed, sources confirmed that she is also nothing short of a savant on such matters as whether young children should be given electronic gizmos to play with instead of a book, what homeless individuals are doing with the spare change you give them, and what on earth would motivate someone to go out in public like that.

Additionally, Gaither has earned wide commendation for putting forth a clear, straightforward solution to the behavioral problems she has identified as plaguing the poor population, suggesting simply that needy families stop popping out babies and focus on raising the ones they already have.

“No matter where you go, it always seems like Carol has some amazing new piece of insight about people around her,” said friend Gloria Ferris, who told reporters that she has often marveled at Gaither’s abilities on trips to the mall, the movies, and especially in restaurants. “Whether she’s analyzing exactly how a parent should go about disciplining their child or methodically dissecting the laziness of obese people who ride around in motorized carts, Carol’s on top of it. She just has a gift.”

“If only these people could be as perceptive as she is,” Ferris added.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/woman-a-leading-authority-on-what-shouldnt-be-in-p,35922/

Has anyone realized that there is troll on this tread getting their jollies off all of you defending poor kids. This is crazy quit responding to this moron.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, I forgot to mention, I actually am aware of the relation to obesity and poverty. I was just being sarcastic because of some of the comments people are making about kids being starved. Nobody is starving unless the choice is made to starve in these schools.

If you are aware of the relationship between obesity and poverty, then you are presumably also aware that it is possible to have insufficient or inadequate food, some or all of the time, without being actually starving.

And you are also probably aware that in American English, people commonly use the word "starving" to mean very hungry.

And I'm well aware that insufficient food is because the parents neglect to provide it, not because of lack of means. Because of poor choices by the parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, you cannot compare 400 years ago with today (unless you are just that simplistic). Expansion/exploration was the norm, no immigration laws, and so on. You cannot judge the present by the past.

Damn those Native Americans for not having immigration laws! Cause you know those settlers would have followed the rules and all.

Because the peace-loving Native Americans wouldn't have slaughtered more people than they did to begin with? If there were indeed any kind of prohibitions stated within the NA society, I've no doubt it would have been taken care of, and violently.

No, because if the Native American had had immigration laws making it very difficult for most people to immigrate legally to North America, then the Europeans would have said, "Well, in that case, we'll just stay right here in Europe." Right?

Anonymous wrote:Also, I forgot to mention, I actually am aware of the relation to obesity and poverty. I was just being sarcastic because of some of the comments people are making about kids being starved. Nobody is starving unless the choice is made to starve in these schools.

If you are aware of the relationship between obesity and poverty, then you are presumably also aware that it is possible to have insufficient or inadequate food, some or all of the time, without being actually starving.

And you are also probably aware that in American English, people commonly use the word "starving" to mean very hungry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, you cannot compare 400 years ago with today (unless you are just that simplistic). Expansion/exploration was the norm, no immigration laws, and so on. You cannot judge the present by the past.

Damn those Native Americans for not having immigration laws! Cause you know those settlers would have followed the rules and all.

Because the peace-loving Native Americans wouldn't have slaughtered more people than they did to begin with? If there were indeed any kind of prohibitions stated within the NA society, I've no doubt it would have been taken care of, and violently.

Also, I forgot to mention, I actually am aware of the relation to obesity and poverty. I was just being sarcastic because of some of the comments people are making about kids being starved. Nobody is starving unless the choice is made to starve in these schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Weird how the highest rates of obesity are among those living in poverty, right? The ones getting "food assistance" through WIC, FARMs, and those EBT cards are the ones also suffering from childhood obesity. Also, if the parent is getting food stamps, shouldn't she be expected to use that money to pay for food to pack her children a lunch to bring to school? Wonder what would happen if they did away with free lunches and told parents to put lunch money in their kids accounts using the EBT cards. I bet they'd quickly learn that packing a lunch is cheaper than "buying". FCPS is increasing the cost of school lunch next year due to "rising food, labor, and BENEFIT costs." So now those that have to pay for their children if they want to buy will have to pay $.25 more each day. Is that fair?

I worked at a school cafeteria and the FARMs kids ALWAYS had money to purchase snacks in addition to the free meal that went straight into the trash. Ice cream, cookies and chips everyday. Priorities, people.

How did you know which kids were on FARMs?

And no, it's actually not "weird" that the highest rates of obesity are among those living in poverty. It's a well-studied phenomenon, with explanations. See here, for example:

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/1/6.full

Many health disparities in the United States are linked to inequalities in education and income. This review focuses on the relation between obesity and diet quality, dietary energy density, and energy costs. Evidence is provided to support the following points. First, the highest rates of obesity occur among population groups with the highest poverty rates and the least education. Second, there is an inverse relation between energy density (MJ/kg) and energy cost ($/MJ), such that energy-dense foods composed of refined grains, added sugars, or fats may represent the lowest-cost option to the consumer. Third, the high energy density and palatability of sweets and fats are associated with higher energy intakes, at least in clinical and laboratory studies. Fourth, poverty and food insecurity are associated with lower food expenditures, low fruit and vegetable consumption, and lower-quality diets. A reduction in diet costs in linear programming models leads to high-fat, energy-dense diets that are similar in composition to those consumed by low-income groups. Such diets are more affordable than are prudent diets based on lean meats, fish, fresh vegetables, and fruit. The association between poverty and obesity may be mediated, in part, by the low cost of energy-dense foods and may be reinforced by the high palatability of sugar and fat. This economic framework provides an explanation for the observed links between socioeconomic variables and obesity when taste, dietary energy density, and diet costs are used as intervening variables. More and more Americans are becoming overweight and obese while consuming more added sugars and fats and spending a lower percentage of their disposable income on food.

The way I knew was that it was a school of around 300. 70% were FARMs, so 7 out of 10. About 7 out of every 10 students bought every day and 3 out of 10 brought lunch from home each day. The ones that packed every day did it because their parents couldn't / wouldn't pay $3 for their kids to buy lunch every day. I felt sorry for those kids that got lunch at school every day because they would complain to me about how nasty the food was. Seeing as how it was such a small school, I got to know these kids pretty well in the two years I worked there. I love kids and I love working with them. I would NEVER blame them or want to see any benefits removed from them, it's the irresponsible parents that piss me off. They are not setting their kids up for success when they fail to set a good example and teach their kids how to make better choices.

Anonymous wrote:
Weird how the highest rates of obesity are among those living in poverty, right? The ones getting "food assistance" through WIC, FARMs, and those EBT cards are the ones also suffering from childhood obesity. Also, if the parent is getting food stamps, shouldn't she be expected to use that money to pay for food to pack her children a lunch to bring to school? Wonder what would happen if they did away with free lunches and told parents to put lunch money in their kids accounts using the EBT cards. I bet they'd quickly learn that packing a lunch is cheaper than "buying". FCPS is increasing the cost of school lunch next year due to "rising food, labor, and BENEFIT costs." So now those that have to pay for their children if they want to buy will have to pay $.25 more each day. Is that fair?

I worked at a school cafeteria and the FARMs kids ALWAYS had money to purchase snacks in addition to the free meal that went straight into the trash. Ice cream, cookies and chips everyday. Priorities, people.

How did you know which kids were on FARMs?

And no, it's actually not "weird" that the highest rates of obesity are among those living in poverty. It's a well-studied phenomenon, with explanations. See here, for example:

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/1/6.full

Many health disparities in the United States are linked to inequalities in education and income. This review focuses on the relation between obesity and diet quality, dietary energy density, and energy costs. Evidence is provided to support the following points. First, the highest rates of obesity occur among population groups with the highest poverty rates and the least education. Second, there is an inverse relation between energy density (MJ/kg) and energy cost ($/MJ), such that energy-dense foods composed of refined grains, added sugars, or fats may represent the lowest-cost option to the consumer. Third, the high energy density and palatability of sweets and fats are associated with higher energy intakes, at least in clinical and laboratory studies. Fourth, poverty and food insecurity are associated with lower food expenditures, low fruit and vegetable consumption, and lower-quality diets. A reduction in diet costs in linear programming models leads to high-fat, energy-dense diets that are similar in composition to those consumed by low-income groups. Such diets are more affordable than are prudent diets based on lean meats, fish, fresh vegetables, and fruit. The association between poverty and obesity may be mediated, in part, by the low cost of energy-dense foods and may be reinforced by the high palatability of sugar and fat. This economic framework provides an explanation for the observed links between socioeconomic variables and obesity when taste, dietary energy density, and diet costs are used as intervening variables. More and more Americans are becoming overweight and obese while consuming more added sugars and fats and spending a lower percentage of their disposable income on food.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hungry children COULD get food to eat if their parents prioritized more effectively. Take up your beef with them. Period.

If we did that the kids would probably starve. Anyone who is against feeding innocent kids is gross.

Weird how the highest rates of obesity are among those living in poverty, right? The ones getting "food assistance" through WIC, FARMs, and those EBT cards are the ones also suffering from childhood obesity. Also, if the parent is getting food stamps, shouldn't she be expected to use that money to pay for food to pack her children a lunch to bring to school? Wonder what would happen if they did away with free lunches and told parents to put lunch money in their kids accounts using the EBT cards. I bet they'd quickly learn that packing a lunch is cheaper than "buying". FCPS is increasing the cost of school lunch next year due to "rising food, labor, and BENEFIT costs." So now those that have to pay for their children if they want to buy will have to pay $.25 more each day. Is that fair?

I worked at a school cafeteria and the FARMs kids ALWAYS had money to purchase snacks in addition to the free meal that went straight into the trash. Ice cream, cookies and chips everyday. Priorities, people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kid lunches should be free. I would be willing to pay extra taxes to support 100% free lunches for grades k-12.

Nice thought except the lunches on the federal school lunch program are very unhealthy. poor quality meats, processed foods, tons of sugar. they need a complete overhaul before i would let my child eat that if i had an option. it's really sad that those that need healthy food the most (because they may not get it at home) are served such sub standard meals.

This 1000 times over. I HATE when my kids want to have the school lunch, I'd much rather pack everyday. Since we don't get FARMS, that expensive crappy school lunch food adds up. I can pack for far less and much more healthy.
I do have to wonder what SO many families are doing in one of the most expensive places to live in the US if they can't afford to pay for their kids lunches. I'm not talking of the OP, with a temporary financial setback. It's the lifers, who will most likely perpetuate that way of life onto the children currently in school, receiving free lunches.

This is where the "good schools" are. They, too, have better aspirations for their children than what they can get in Morgantown or Memphis schools.

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, you cannot compare 400 years ago with today (unless you are just that simplistic). Expansion/exploration was the norm, no immigration laws, and so on. You cannot judge the present by the past.

Damn those Native Americans for not having immigration laws! Cause you know those settlers would have followed the rules and all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kid lunches should be free. I would be willing to pay extra taxes to support 100% free lunches for grades k-12.

Nice thought except the lunches on the federal school lunch program are very unhealthy. poor quality meats, processed foods, tons of sugar. they need a complete overhaul before i would let my child eat that if i had an option. it's really sad that those that need healthy food the most (because they may not get it at home) are served such sub standard meals.

This 1000 times over. I HATE when my kids want to have the school lunch, I'd much rather pack everyday. Since we don't get FARMS, that expensive crappy school lunch food adds up. I can pack for far less and much more healthy.
I do have to wonder what SO many families are doing in one of the most expensive places to live in the US if they can't afford to pay for their kids lunches. I'm not talking of the OP, with a temporary financial setback. It's the lifers, who will most likely perpetuate that way of life onto the children currently in school, receiving free lunches.

School lunches ARE FREE for students in Fredericksburg City Public Schools. Not sure if teachers have to pay or not... but many of the teachers eat school lunches there too. Bleck.