Poor kids in N.M. schools forced to eat cold cheese sandwiches when parents can't pay

What the hell is wrong with that Lunch?

I happen to love cheese sandwiches.

Grilled cheese is even better, with ketchup!



[edit on 27-2-2009 by j2000]

we are truly a spoiled continent.

the horror-- a cheese sandwich. what next, the government confiscates all x-boxes?

there are simply too many people who cannot take care of themselves. if you have kids, you provide for them. if you are finding it difficult, have no more children.

i usually post "stick in the mud" comments because i disagree with 98% of whats discussed here. but those people who are hoarding water and other provisions??? you get my respect. at least you are the one whos proactive for your own care and sustinence.

You heartless Assholes, how can you say such things.

Originally posted by BlackOps719

I do realize that school systems and states in general are suffering from budget shortfalls and in serious need of cost cutting measures. However, in this instance Im not sure this is the right approach to saving a few bucks.

Doesn't it seem wrong to single out and humiliate elementary age school children because of the inability of the parents to pay? Yes I know what many heartless types will say, they are deadbeats and as such deserve no sympathy.

But isn't that the whole point here? Does it not fall on the parent to shoulder the blame for not having the ability to pay? Isnt it a bit cruel and unusual to humiliate young children for the short comings of the parent?

Can you imagine the ridicule that a youngster would face, being singled out and pulled aside in front of an entire cafeteria full of their peers and forced to eat a welfare cheese sandwich in shame.


I can see the point of view of the school officials on one hand because yes, parents should pay their fair share of the cost. But on the other hand I feel bad for thse children and see them as an innocent victim here. No doubt the stigma attached for a young child to be mocked in such a way will carry over to their adult lives.

Couldn't they find a better way to handle the problem than resorting to public humiliation of the children?

[edit on 2/25/09 by BlackOps719]

What's sad here is that you're serious. The little snowflakes have to eat cheese sandwiches? I think I might be able to find the number for a whaaaaambulance. At least the school was nice enough to provide them. Here's an idea: how about the mommies and daddies that are in an uproar about it fix the kids a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch? That's how most of us had lunch when we were in grade school. This &*%#ing idea that anyone owes anyone anything is getting way out of hand. Just fix a damn sandwich!

reply to post by djdave2010


only thing ive ever paid for with money in my school was to get coffey or a soda from the cafeteria wich is not funded by tax money , usualy some parent teacher colaboration behind it ,

during the 16 years i studied i had the benefit in public schools to indulge my self in top notch food , every day we had a vegetarian dish , one gluten free and one for omnivores and all the bread you could eat with cheese and sometimes even smokedham or realy good Mettwurst and all the milk, water or orange or apple juice you could quaf down the throut during lunch brake plus that every now and then we have the benefit of fruits, apples oranges and bananas,

all paid by tax money

just sadens to hear that you acturly have to fight for your tax money to even be seen ,

i personaly belive that you are being fooled and it will affect the generations to come in a bad way,

heh pizza hut high or tacobell elementary or burger king university sounds like something out of the movie idiocracy, not that i dont eat at thouse places they are a good meal every now and then but i just dont get as to why implement something you assosiate after hours or weekends with a school system, heh , just couldent resist , fema approved detention system or nist physics class, .

nah jokes aside, hang in there and get people aware of the scam.

Oh boo hoo. I'm sorry but so what?

I live on cold sandwiches and ramen noodles. What do you expect these kids to get for lunch, lobster and caviar every day?

I don't want my heart to sound as cold as a cold cheese sandwich but honestly, the sense of entitlement in America is just amazing these days. The kids are getting something to eat for free, they're getting more out of the system than they're putting in. They're getting nutrition. Why complain about a free meal?

Back in the day ofGoverment butter and cheese giveaways in the 80's I always had friends that were on some goverment handout and they would get those long rectangles of cheese, I'd always either buy it from them or something, but I loved that cheese for making grill cheese sandwich's These loafing worthless parents need to stop watching Jerry Springer and get out and work, or piss on em. and if you wont feed your kids, mabe foster care should follow

I may have to join the flock on this one.

Fruit?
Cheese sarnie?
Juice?

Free?

Count me in!

You don't know you're born.

I am not kidding, my elementary school didn't have a cafeteria. The janitor had to lug out benches during lunch time into the gym. Rainy days we just stayed there and played.

Having a single father and being poor. Guess what I got? government cheese sandwhich, a cheap apple and milk.

So I cringe at this lunch, because I have had enough of it. But the option is nice, becasue some didn't even have that.

It sucks growing up poor. I got picked on relentlessly. But to this day, it still makes me grateful for everything little thing I receive.
The pain is still there, but I am also a much wiser person for it, and help put others whenever I get a chance. It developed empathy,and helped me understand the world that judges, and how to get along with, or without it.

Kids are worse these days though. I do worry about my son going to school when the time comes. I just hope I can make him confident enough to handle it.

Originally posted by Quaght

What's sad here is that you're serious. The little snowflakes have to eat cheese sandwiches? I think I might be able to find the number for a whaaaaambulance. At least the school was nice enough to provide them. Here's an idea: how about the mommies and daddies that are in an uproar about it fix the kids a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch? That's how most of us had lunch when we were in grade school. This &*%#ing idea that anyone owes anyone anything is getting way out of hand. Just fix a damn sandwich!

Thanks for sharing.....you seem like a very caring Christian indeed. Love the sig BTW.

well, i can understand it not being a good ol PB&J anymore since it seems like every 10th kid out there now has a peanut allergy or something equally stupid.

but, if they weren't serving mustard with the cheese sandwich, then I'd have to complain, since cheese without mustard is just inhumane. Its up there with those sicko commie perverts who put ketchup on hot dogs.

I have never seen schools that had such crappy food as the schools do lately anyways. I would prefer my kids to eat a cheese sandwich over what they serve in the school for lunch. I can remember back when I worked in the Caffeteria helping Mrs. Mayo cook and hand out food to the students in Maine at the junior high. And now the stuff they have isnt even home cooked food. In fact my youngest child in Kindergarten eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day. That is all they give that grade to eat. Yet we pay $2.75 for her to eat the same as for my other kids lunches. Yet she gets PB&J sandwich and Milk for lunch. thats it. I am sure her school most likely doesnt even pay 10 cents to make that sandwich. yet they charge me a ton for it.

My 9 year old was told she couldnt keep her apple after lunch, that she had to give it back to the caffeteria lady. The woman put it back out there so another kid would take it. Thats not right at all. I figure I pay for the lunch my kid can bring it home, or give it to her little sister if she wants to. Personally I wouldnt complain about a cheese sandwich if my kids were hungry.

I figure if you are poor and you cant afford to feed your kids, let them eat a meal at school. No matter what it is. When they come home feed them some cheap mac and cheese. Believe me they will start liking that sandwich after awhile.

Wow!! I love it! It always amazes me what passes for child abuse these days. The poor children are traumatized by having to eat a free sandwich and some fruit. In protest today I ate a cheese sandwich with a few BBQ chips and a banana. So do I need to report myself to family services, or do I just call up a local newspaper reporter and try to get my story published?

reply to post by DonkeyRider


You should call the media, call a lawyer, arrange a press conference, and announce that you are suing yourself for humiliation and mental anguish for forcing yourself to eat a cheese sandwich.

Originally posted by DonkeyRider
Wow!! I love it! It always amazes me what passes for child abuse these days. The poor children are traumatized by having to eat a free sandwich and some fruit. In protest today I ate a cheese sandwich with a few BBQ chips and a banana. So do I need to report myself to family services, or do I just call up a local newspaper reporter and try to get my story published?

i agree. i fail to see what's wrong with feeding the kids milk, fruit and a sandwich. my parents used to send me to school with my sandwich and sometimes i would prepare it myself with my fave ingredients. i was always happy to have my own food!

the only issue would be pulling them out of the line which is very cruel.

then again look at the schools around the world. many of the schools in western Europe don't have lunch programs. and of course then there's the hut in some poor country of Africa...

Originally posted by ahamarlin
Here in Holland it is very normal for kids to bring their own sandwiches from home to school for lunch. Sandwiches, fruit and milk does not sound like a unhealthy meal. I think its better then some of the school junkfood they serve.
At many many places in the world kids dont bring any food with them to school, in fact there might not even be a school at all.

Just my two cents.

Yea We do that here in America too, unless you are too poor to afford it then they have special programs for those few kids. I think in this case instead of having to foot the bill for maybe 5% of the kids, it's more like 50-70% because some areas are so poor.

When I was young I always brought a lunch until it became " un-cool" and then i started buying lunch at school. ( maybe 5-6th grade )

Actually, the schools in our county in Va. give granola bars and juice to those who can't pay, so it's not all that bad. It sounds better than what they serve to those who do pay.

...though it's not like I eat lunch anyways, since I can't be arsed to carry it around, and school dinner over here is sort of sickening. The bread is so greasy that touching the top makes your finger look like you just dipped it in butter! I do miss the school lunch I got in England - I'd pick chicken tikka masala over "chicken strips" with lumpy, watery gravy and instant potatoes any day.

When I was a kid my parents didn't have a lot of money. We weren't poor by any stretch of the imagination but they sure as hell were NOT going to spend $100 on a pair of Nike sneakers that I was going to grow out of in less than a year.

So was that public humiliation for me not having the hottest shoes? I suppose by the same logic as some of you are using the government should have bought me my shoes so that I'd fit in better. Do you see how ludicrous that is? Same deal with the lunches.

This argument is about school lunches but could be expanded to anything school-related, such as text books and busing. It raises the question of should there be any public school at all?

reply to post by BlackOps719


meh, I dont see the big deal. Even in high school my mom used to make my lunch and most of the time all I got was fruit and cheese sandwich. These kids are young, its plenty of nutrition for them. Dairy, Fruit, and Carbs, yeah, they'll be fine.

I am really glad to see so many people posting about this. Really let's get back to reality, There is no free lunch.. This meal is appropriate. It's not like these kids are being deprived of an education, there are other systems in place to provide nourishment (Family/Social/Political/Spiritual).
Hell I live on cheese and PB sandwiches now. Hate to talk about what I ate when I was 16 and on my on. Ok that is not relevant..But the eal is sufficent.