The First Initiative

In chatting with several school administrators and the Food Service Administrator at Holt Public Schools I learned that most schools have similar policies regarding the administration of "reduced" lunches.

"Reduced" lunches are those lunches served at a reduced price for students from households who qualify under governmental guidelines for assistance. The reduced lunch program is to make lunches more affordable for households with limited incomes. This is a great plan! It gives necessary help so that children may have access to school meals, which is an essential component of learning readiness. However, there is a problem.

Students who receive reduced lunch assistance often run out of money in their accounts. Unlike those students who qualify for free lunches, the reduced lunch students must have enough money in their accoutns to cover the reduced rate. Often these students run out of money. When they do, their lunch is taken from them and replaced with a basic lunch which meets the nutritional standards established by the government. The problem is not that these students go without. The problem is that having their chosen lunch taken away and involuntarily replaced by a different lunch makes the students feel different. It is like wearing a derogatory moniker on their tray displaying for the entire watching world that "I'm poor." This happens because students go through the lunch line and pay AFTER they have received their lunch. As they try to pay for the lunch they have received they discover whether they have money or, in some instances, not; at which time their lunch is taken from them and replaced by a substitute lunch.

This seems to be especially problematic for middle school students. These students are at an age where they are beginning to really become aware of self as an individual. This is tied to self-esteem, and students are hyper-aware and hyper-sensitive to how they appear to others. Many reduced lunch students decide not to risk the embarrassment of having their lunch taken away and replaced, so they just skip lunch!

ENTER OUTSTRETCHED HAND INITIATIVE. Our first project will be to silently insure that no student has to worry about having their lunch removed and replaced, and that they may get the needed lunch every day. In addition, we will be assisting during the summer food program to make sure that community children receive food every day.

What does that look like in terms of donation? Each $20 donation will insure that approximately 7 middle school children will confidently receive a lunch. Think about it! Has $20 ever gone so far? Seven middle school children will be positively impacted in LIFE for each $20 donation. I hope that you will prayerfully consider becoming a partner, and I humbly ask for your prayers as we proceed with the calling of Outstretched Hand Initiative.

God's riches always,