When sending kids to school, some parents opt to make their kids lunch for them every day at home. However, it can become very tedious to have to get up early every morning and make lunch for your kids before they go to school every day of the week.
Therefore, many parents opt to have their kids get lunch that the school provides.
Depending on what country you live in, the lunch that your school provides can vary. Some schools provide lunches with food that is specific to that area's culture and popular meals. However, many schools try to provide several items on the food pyramid.
Across the country, there have been photos of school lunches that have gone viral and stirred up some controversy amongst parents and other people online. The photos show some poor excuses for lunch trays and items.
Chris Vangellow's four kids recently returned to school full-time after being remote due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When they returned, the new policy in the schools was that everyone got free lunch. In the past, students have had to pay for lunch, depending on their family income.
Now that the school lunches were free, many noticed that schools across the country began serving much smaller portions to students on a daily basis. In addition, the meals looked far less appetizing and less delicious than before.
Vangellow's children are all aged 13, 14, 15, and 16, which means that they are in middle and high schools. One day, his son sent him a photo of the school lunch that he had received on January 12th. And, the photo is all too telling.
On the tray, there were four small popcorn chicken nuggets and a portion of plain white rice. For a vegetable, there lie a handful of dried-out carrots. And, of course, the standard carton of milk for school lunch.
The photo quickly went viral, with many questioning how this was "enough" for kids, or even healthy and nutritious. The meal itself is definitely not enough to keep kids full and satisfied throughout the day.
"Many kids in his New York town are from low-income households and rely on school meals for the bulk of their nutrition. What's being offered now isn't enough to get kids through the school day, let alone sports practices and extracurriculars," the father of four said.
The school district that Vangellow's kids attend issued a response stating that students are "allowed one more serving of fruits or vegetables and one additional nugget than appeared in the photograph." However, that doesn't make the meal any more appetizing or better.
"Our kids, as well as friends' kids, have remarked that in the last few days things have already improved.
That makes me think that someone was dropping the ball somewhere, and the attention that this has gained has helped correct those actions," the father stated.
While not everyone likes to complain on social media, doing so can sometimes help out our kids in the long run. Vangellow is proof that if you post something online, it could go viral and bring forth the changes our kids so desperately need.
