Public school runs candy sale. Profits help kids pay for school lunches.

[Bozita]

http://www.pressandguide.com/stories/012509/loc_20090125006.shtml

Pardee candy sale to help students pay for lunch

D7 school seeing increase in kids running 'a tab' with lunch lady

By Katie Hetrick, Press & Guide Newspapers

PUBLISHED: January 25, 2009

DEARBORN HEIGHTS - Call it a sign of troubled times, but Pardee Elementary School is offering families a chance to pay for student lunches by selling candy bars.

Thirty-two boxes of candy have gone home with students. Each box a student sells will put $24 into the child's school lunch account, said Pardee's Administrative Assistant Nancy Jordan.

Candy sale fundraisers are common, but the money usually goes to the school or a group like the PTO for the general benefit of students. The funds raised by this sale go specifically to buy food for that student.

Jordan thought up the idea of an individual fundraiser. Each week, she gets a list from the District 7 offices about which students owe for lunches and she tries to contact the parents. This year, the list just kept growing.

"More than half of our kids who pay for lunches owe money," Jordan said.

At last count, that meant 86 students owed for lunches.

Less than half of Pardee's students pay the full $1.80 for a student lunch.

Of the 377 students at Pardee, 153 qualify for free lunches and another 55 receive lunch at a reduced rate under the longstanding U.S. Department of Agriculture school lunch program.

But many of the delinquent parents told Jordan they earn too much to qualify for a free or reduced lunch.

more...

[NaturalHigh]

1. If we can afford several hundred billions for the war in Iraq...

then we can afford school lunches for kids. When I was a teacher, it was obvious that for some of the kids, the school lunch was the only decent meal of the day.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Beyond sad, eh?

[ebdarcy]

3. Agreed.

[MarjorieG]

4. I think we have emphasize more how Iraq was off the budget line, irresponsibly, as GOP talks tax cut

Not affording lunches...wow.

[ogneopasno]

5. This is a goddamn shame. It is a SHAME for this country. Time for that bumper sticker again:

"It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber." I went through a cynical phase when I thought that was too easy an answer. Now I think it's right fucking on.

[devilgrrl]

6. Interesting. When I was in school, taxes covered those costs.

But that was when the US was Socialistic - glad those days are over.

:sarcasm:

[Romulox]

7. These are kids of laid off auto workers (and their neighbors).

Thanks for supporting Labor, DU "progressives"! :eyes:

[Bozita]

8. Yes it is. DH7 is a blue collar community comprised of mostly modest homes (under 1200 ft2)

A lot of folks there are hurting.

[Romulox]

9. SO SICK of DUers letting poverty issue sink. nt

[NaturalHigh]

10. It's more convenient and "hip"...

to complain about Rick Warren or insult the faith and intelligence of Christians. Talking about how we could make sure that all of our citizens are employed at good jobs, fed, clothed, and sheltered doesn't generate nearly as much excitement.