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Summary Of Heroines: The Lunch Ladies

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Heroines: The Lunch Ladies In November 2016, a student was hungry in a school cafeteria in Ohio. His name is Thomas, nine-years-old, who attended Jefferson Elementary School. The cafeteria workers regularly gave him a free meal since he seldom had money to pay for his lunch. He did not qualify for a free or reduced lunch program. Just before the cafeteria closed, and other students had exited the room, he checked out trays with leftover food, like half-eaten sandwiches, apples, crackers, and chips. Then he puts them in his backpack and ate them later when he was alone. He did not realize it, but the cafeteria ladies did much more than wear hair nets and scold children about eating their meals. They were heroines and self-sacrificing because …show more content…

In February 2017, Debbie Solsman, a lunch lady, was fired after she gave food away to students at Denver Place Elementary School in Ohio. She admitted feeding the students. She said, “I sometimes would buy (hungry students) an extra slice of pizza because I did feel them out, asking them what they had for supper the night before. Sometimes, they would tell me nothing” ( ). In a similar case, in December 2015, Darlene Bowen, another cafeteria worker at Irving Middle School, Idaho, was dismissed for giving away a free lunch to a 12-year-old student. Ms. Bowen was offered her job back. However, she was not sure that she wanted it, as she stated, “I have to think about it…This just breaks my heart, and I was in the wrong, but what do you do when the kids tell you that they’re hungry, and they don’t have any money?” ( ) Unfortunately, these cafeteria workers faced a systemic problem as to whether to ignore the students’ hunger or feed them, and they chose the latter in response to their sense of humanity. The lunch ladies’ concerns about the hungry students are based in a stark reality. The latest data collected from the states by the National Center for Education Statistics show …show more content…

Needy children may or may not eat breakfast, which is considered the most important meal of the day. Sometimes, these children have eaten more nutritiously with oatmeal, milk, and fruit, whereas others have eaten white-flour pancakes with syrup or sugar-laden cereal with milk, water, or nothing else. Even though egg whites, whole grain breads, fruits, and low-fat milk are better choices, they may not be available to them. Many families need education about nutrition and its effects on their children and families. By lunchtime, most poor children’s bodies are depleted and in need of another energy provider, even if they had a breakfast in the first place. School cafeterias may or may not have offered totally healthy lunch choices like soups, salads, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Nevertheless, there are efforts to make positive changes, such as building gardens at schools. The cafeteria workers use the fruit and vegetables that were grown in the gardens in the lunches. Food service also offer a variety of fruits and salads as many options. Nutritional lunches should not be denied needy students because they cannot pay for them ( ). The lunch ladies are aware that needy students’ nutritional needs, like those of all students, should be a priority in their homes and in their

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