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February 26, 2017 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Sunday Reflections: There is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch?

February 26, 2017 by Karen Jensen, MLS   3 comments

The tickets were a different color. That’s what I remember about being on the free and reduced lunch program after my parents got divorced and we tried to make it as a single income family. The tickets were a different color so every kid knew that you were poor. There was great shame that came with handing that ticket to the lunch lady. But that shame didn’t overwrite my hunger, so I handed it to her and I ate.

sundayreflections1

This past week, Betsy DeVos made the comment that there is no such thing as a free lunch. And that is technically true. Lunches, even lunches that come free to children in our nation’s schools, cost someone money. I, personally, don’t mind paying taxes to help make sure that children don’t go hungry.

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Here’s the thing about children. They are our most vulnerable population. They are developing and forming and every thing that happens to and around them affects them. Hunger. Poverty. It affects them. And because it affects them, it affects all of us.

I am a Christian and since this is a Sunday, let me turn now to the Bible. Once there was a man named Jesus who stood before a large crowd and he was going to deliver what we would call today a sermon. He was teaching them. But he looked out among them and saw that they were hungry and he understood they would not be able to listen and learn while their bellies rumbled with hunger pains, so he fed them. This is the Sermon on the Mount. The feeding of the multitude. The story of when a man named Jesus took some loaves and fishes and fed thousands of hungry people so that he could teach them.

We can argue about the best ways to feed starving children. But there are hungry kids sitting in our public schools – current statistics indicate 1 in 5 of every kid – and they already have a lunch time and a lunch program, so free and reduced lunches make sense. It’s a distribution program in place that works.

There has been a lot of talk since the election about rural poverty. No one, they claim, cares about poor rural people and that is why we are here. Ironically, cutting school lunch programs would dramatically hurt those living in rural poverty. I know, because I work in an area with high amounts of rural poverty. In fact, I recently did a long series of Tweets about what is was like working with these teens. I share that story with you here because it seems relevant to this conversation we keep having.

It’s true, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Someone, somewhere is paying for that lunch. But I’m not in the business of punishing children, affecting their health and development, and compromising our future for some negative ideology that overlooks the very real causes of poverty and puts more money into the hands of rich people while children sit hungry in the classroom and can’t focus on learning because their teacher’s voice isn’t louder than the growling in their bellies. I’d rather my taxes go to feed hungry children then pay for our billionaire president’s many vacations or to increase our capacity to kill the world a thousand times over by developing more nuclear weapons. Investing in children is an investment in America.

This is what it's like working with teens living in rural poverty in a small Midwestern town//


Storify by
TeenLibrarianToolbox
Wed, Jan 25 2017 15:50:38

Edit

This is what it's like working with teens living in rural poverty in a small Midwestern town



  1. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    If you would like, please gather round for a look at teenage life in poor(er) rural America. Multiple tweets to follow.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 22:58:02

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  2. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    Just five minutes ago, I sat in a busy, active Teen Makerspace with 24 teens. In a moment, they are all gone. Just like that. Why?

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 22:58:58

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  3. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    They all left to go to the local hot meal. This happens every week night like clockwork. They're here, then there are gone. Poverty & hunger

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 22:59:50

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  4. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    are so rampant in this rural town that local churches/organizations have a steady, weekly rotation of hot meals for the public. My teens

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:00:34

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  5. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    know the schedule by heart. The staff does as well, because it is the most frequent question we get asked after where's the bathroom.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:01:20

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  6. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    They come here after school and stay until closing. Sometimes parents come check on them in between going from one part-time job to the next

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:02:00

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  7. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    Many of them are in foster care. They share stories of abuse, sexual violence, drug use and more. They are bored, restless, scared.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:03:48

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  8. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    Our schools are failing because there is no $ and no one will vote for a levy because they can't afford higher taxes.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:04:36

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  9. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    One girl wore broken glasses for months because she can only get new ones 1 day a year when the local place has a free clinic.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:05:23

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  10. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    Some of my teens have teeth rotting out because they can't afford to go to a dentist. No one makes fun of them because they all know and

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:06:01

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  11. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    and understand here what it's like to live in poverty. They know what it's like to be hungry. To have your electricity or water turned off.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:07:03

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  12. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    They talk openly about it all because it's all they know and they have no shame. They don't have space for your shame. They are surviving.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:07:44

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  13. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    There are a few pockets of more middle class in this town, but overall we have a high amount of poverty, poor health, instability, low ed.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:08:47

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  14. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    These parents are trying hard in a system designed for them to fail. There are no jobs locally, not good paying ones. And you need cars &

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:09:29

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  15. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    childcare to get out of town for the better paying jobs. Or for cultural experiences. Or for anything that isn't mass marketed & cheap.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:10:27

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  16. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    It's a never ending cycle. One illness, one car break down, and they fall back down the ladder. And it keeps repeating, because the system

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:11:33

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  17. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    that's designed to hold them down is very good at it.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:12:22

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  18. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    These are children. Teenagers yes, but children. When they turn 15 many of them will get jobs. They will try & go to school, but they need

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:13:58

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  19. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    the $ more immediately then they need the education. They need to eat. Electricity. Running water. Education is a luxury here for those who

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:15:10

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  20. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    can afford to stay in instead of dropping out and working.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:15:59

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  21. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    So remember when you are talking about poverty, you are talking about real people. Most of them the hardest working people you'll ever meet.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:17:10

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  22. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    And remember that these kids love like this because of us. Because of our laws, our systems, our decisions. But we can also work to change.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:17:57

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  23. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    Things they need:
    To be valued, respected, cared for
    Parents w/jobs that have livable wages & benefits so they can be more present in the

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:19:12

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  24. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    Life of their children
    Quality public education
    Health care
    Nutritious food
    Cultural opportunities like field trips to museums & plays

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:20:09

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  25. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    Side note: so many schools no longer have field trips, which is the only way many kids go to museums, plays, etc. Another huge loss for all.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:21:06

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  26. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    Some of these teens are born and raised here & have never been out of this small town because how could they get there? They can't.

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:22:18

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  27. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    In a half hour they will all walk back to the library in the freezing rain and stay until close. Then they'll go to wherever it is they are

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:24:11

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  28. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    sleeping tonight. For some, it will be home. For others, it won't. In the mean time, I'm honored to sit in this space w/them & listen, teach

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:25:10

    ReplyRetweetFavorite


  29. TLT16

    TeenLibrarianToolbox@TLT16
    There is so much - far too much - poverty everywhere in America. And it hurts us all.  https://twitter.com/sentencebender/status/819686729498193920 …

    Thu, Jan 12 2017 23:26:05

    ReplyRetweetFavorite

 

Filed under: Poverty, Sunday Reflections

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About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

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Comments

  1. Wendy says

    February 26, 2017 at 6:37 pm

    Thank you for this. It is really hard for the middle class mind to wrap fully around, but the majority of the students in my school are on free lunch, and if they weren’t, they wouldn’t eat. Simple. One kid was telling me about his mom kicking out her boyfriend for being a jerk. “We don’t need him!” she told her son. To which he replied, ‘Mom, have you looked in our cupboards? We have half a box of cereal, and not even any milk. We actually did need him.” Which was part of a larger conversation we were having about why he had joined a gang. Many kids deflect on this–it’s about friendship and loyalty. He straight up said he was in a gang because there weren’t any legal ways for a 12 year old to make money, but he could help feed his siblings by being a runner for dealers. Seems like the family values people might have an issue with that. I’d rather pay for someone’s “free” lunch than incentivize crime.

  2. Anonymous says

    February 27, 2017 at 2:32 pm

    You’d have a much stronger argument to make if the average SNAP home actually spent more than 40% of their food assistance on basic provisions, and didn’t spend 10% of that same assistance on surgary drinks.

    This was reported the New York Times last month: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/13/well/eat/food-stamp-snap-soda.html?_r=0

    Alas, with this facts, your argument falls flatter than a Pop Tart.

    • Luke says

      February 27, 2017 at 4:34 pm

      You brave anonymous person, you are equating SNAP with free school lunches. These are not the same thing. When a child receives a free school lunch, they are receiving the exact same meal that everyone else is getting, which is regulated by the government (for now) to be nutritious. Sometimes this food is nutritious on paper and not too tasty or appealing on a lunchroom tray, but it is food. And there are a lot of households that have kids who mostly get food from free lunch and free breakfast in schools. If you have arguments about SNAP, that’s an entirely different argument that someone else might be willing to take up, but it’s irrelevant here.

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