Cafeteria angels

What, or Who do you think about when you hear about the “reduced cost” lunch program at school?  Do you get a picture in your mind of some dirty kid with greasy hair and old clothes that don’t fit anymore?  Maybe you’re picturing a kid who is a loner with no friends.  Well, you might be right.  But you also might be very wrong.

Hard times hit everyone – and I mean EVERYONE.  It’s just the way life is.  And NOBODY should be judged or ridiculed for needing a hand during the tough times.  It might even be your best friend on the program and maybe you don’t even know!

Schools are slowly changing the way they identify the kids on a lunch program – they know it’s humiliating to not have the money to pay.   Hopefully one day everyone will carry the same lunch card and only the cashier will know the contents, but that’s not happening everywhere yet.

And the kids aren’t the only ones who are embarrassed and humiliated.   Do you have any idea how hard it is to not be able to provide your children with such a basic need as a school lunch?  I do – and I hated asking for help and I certainly didn’t want anyone to know.  But I had no choice.   It was just temporary, but I really needed the help.  And unfortunately,  the bill for the school lunch was just about my last priority.

But Here’s an idea…

Wouldn’t it be awesome to secretly pay the bill of a family who is behind in their bill?  The school could have a list of delinquent lunch bills and the secret donors could select one (or many) to pay off without the family knowing.  What a great surprise to get a notice that the account was paid in full!  It wouldn’t cost much but it sure would feel good to be on the giving side!