School Lunches

It’s easy to pint out federal programs that don’t work. But there are some that do just what they are supposed to.
One is the National School Lunch Program.
The school lunch program offers free or low cost lunches to children from low income families.
The idea is to ensure these children have at least one nutritious meal a day, as well as providing an outlet for surplus agricultural commodities purchased by the federal government.
The legislation authorizing the program was signed into law by President Harry Truman back in 1946. Since then hundreds of millions of children have benefited.
And they continue to benefit—especially these day.
A family of four earning $28,665 or less qualifies for the free lunch program. The figure is $40,793 for reduced-cost lunches. Our nation’s economic woes have pushed more and more children into the program. Last year, about 19 million children got free or low cost school lunches—nearly a million more students than the year before.
The program is a lifesaver for many families.
The federal government picks up most of the tab fort he program by reimbursing states for the cost of the meals.
But there s a sang. Federal reimbursements haven’t kept up with the cost of food. Combine that with the influx of new recipients and some school districts are feeling the pinch. To keep the program going, they have to juggle funds from other areas of the budget.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture does a study each to establish the reimbursement rate. The problem is the government relies on data that is two years old for each study. That doesn’t always reflect current conditions, nor take into account the number of children participating in the program.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recognizes the problem and has asked Congress for more money.
Congress should authorize those funds. And the USDA should look into improving the way it calculates reimbursements.
The School Lunch Program works. The federal government should make sure it keeps working.

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