Evening star., 1934-01-27
IMPROVED SCHOOL
LUNCHES PLANNED
Kitchens May Be Located in
Buildings to Provide
Hot Food.

Establishment CT kitchens in school
buildings to provide hot lunches fol
undernourished children is being con.
sidered by District and school officials
it was indicated TODAY following q
conference between Commissioner
George E. Allen and DR.. Frank w
Ballou, superintendent of schools.
Mrs. Roosevelt protested yesterday
that lunches being served the children
were not adequate following q surprise
visit which she made to two schools
Thursday. The lunches now are pre-
pared at private delicatessen.
Commissioner Allen said he and DR..
Ballou had discussed means of improv-
ing the quality and attractiveness OF
the lunches. He was scheduled to con-
fer early this afternoon with DR.. Louise
Stanley of the Bureau Of Home Eco
nomics, Department of Agriculture who
is a member of the Advisory Commit
tee named by Commissioner Allen.
The Advisory Committee is to meet
again Monday to continue consideration
of the lunch program.
Mrs. Roosevelt made her protest to
District officials. and to Federal Relief
Administrator Harry l.. Hopkins. after
she found what she regarded as un-
suitable food being served the children
The entire problem was left to Com
missioner Allen by Hopkins, whose or
the lunches. Hopkins said today: 1T S
Aliens job. and we expect him to do
good one"
No Milk on Diet.
On her tour yesterday Mrs. Roose-
welt found no milk or fruit on the
school lunch menus. although when
she visited the schools about three
weeks ago school off1cials showed her
a model menu on which appeared both
milk and fruit.
Yesterday, at one school. Mrs. Roose-
welt found the lunch consisted OF stew
and = roll spread with peanut butter,
while at another. macaroni and a pea
nut butter spread was being served.
After her tour, she went, with DR..
Ella Oppenheimer Of the Children's S
u,
terson, Mrs Mercedes Boyle. Commits
sioner Allen. George S. Wilson. director
Of public welfare: DR.. Ballou and
Leroy Halbert. emergency relief director
for the District. to Hopkins office,
where she reported her findings.
After her visit. Hopkins said.
Mrs. Roosevelt told me the school
lunches served in the District were not
so hot, so we decided to make them
good"
Balanced Lunches.
DR.. Stanley later demonstrated to
school officials in charge of the hot
lunch program that nourishing, bal
anced lunches can be served at 5 cents
per pupil.
The menu prepared in the diet
kitchens in the demonstration included
a stew of meat and vegetables, halt
pint Of milk and buttered whole
wheat roll. The stew. full bowl. cost
at the rate of Is cents. the milk, "a
cents and the bread and butter less
than a cent.
The lunch being served the pupils
under the public program now. DR.
Stanley was advised. costs 6 cents pei
pupil and does not include milk The
bureaus experts pronounced the school,
lunches well prepared. but insisted they
needed milk and fruit to give them the
proper balance. The cost, too, she said
Is too high.
School officers who visited the bureau
to see DR.. Stanley's demonstration in.
cluded Robert L. Haycock, chairman oi
the School Committee: Miss Emma
Jacobs. director of home economics in
the schools: A. K. Savoy. assistant Su-
perintendent. and Mrs. D. I. Miller, d.
rector of household arts in the colored
schools Others in the visiting group
included DR.. Joseph A. Murphy. health
officer for the schools: Harry M. Gard
ner of the relief organiza ton. and Mrs
John Boyle. president of the Ben w
Murch Parent-Teacher Association.