The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1941-08-21
Government
Will Help To
| Provide Lunches

have served noon lunches curing tAe
winter months. This is a Woe
spread practice among schools with
the thought in mind Of provlding
suitable lunches for the children
coming from distance and to neip
the under-nourished.
During the last year or two. the
Surplus Marketing Administrator
has been assisting in this work by
providing certain foods from the
Surplus Commodities stores. ms
work is~-4o be continued and ex-
banded during the coming winter
The following article, written by
the Surplus Marketing Administra-
ton, tells of plans that are under
way:
The community school lunch pro
gram which. at its peak last spring
served more than 100000 under
nourished school children through
out the nation with a health protect
ing lunch each school day, will be
considerably expanded this fall ac-
cording to a statement made today
by Charles F. Kunkel acting re-
giona1 director of the Surplus Mar
keting Administration in the west
ern states.
Specific steps are now being TAX
en-, particularly in the West, by the
Surplus Marketing Administration
to work with community groups in
providing for a much greater COW
erage of needy children during the
coming school year
i As explained by Kunkel, the COM
munity school lunch program is a
cooperative effort on the part OF
various civic groups like PTA or
service and fraternal organizations,
school officials, state welfare de-
partments, WPA, NYA, and the Z.
S. Department of Agriculture, to
see that undernourished school chill
dren receive at least one nutritious
meal day.
1T is conservatively estimated
., that some 100000 school children
come from homes whose incomes
are too small to provide them with
complete and we'll balanced diets,
said Mr.. Kunkel. THE Surplus Mar
, keting Administration has made spe-
, cific plans to secure increased food
stuffs for free distribution through
state welfare agencies to schools ir
which lunch program is being
sponsored
j, These foodstuffs are chosen fol
purchase because of the depressing
: effect of larger than normal sup
plies on local or national farm com
modities which the present defens
situation cannot materially help, 0
7 because of the health needs OF ou
children.
1t was pointed out that much 0
the local, seasonal and perishabl
surplus of fruits and vegetables |
being canned through civic pro
grams and WPA projects for use il
+ the fall school lunch program an,
t that flour, apples, pears, certain cit
rus and dried fruits as we'll as 9th
It er commodities need increased do
S mestic consumption.
"All cooperating agencies stan
ready to see that health giving vita
min-rich foods get to communitie
wishing to sponsor lunch program
The success of such program
:, in direct proportion to the interes
. Of each local community in the nu
: triton needs of its children" sal
! Kunkel. Americas goal should
j no undernourished childrenl TIL
community school lunch program
q which aids both the nations agri
"a culture and the nations undernou
n rished children is one of the mean
10 of attaining the goal--and was S
"a recognized at the recent Nations
"a Nutrition Conference"
In highIighting the operation {
10 the program it was stated that con,
10 modities are purchased and shippe
N by SMA to warehouses supervise
and maintained by the state with tn
aid of WPA workers, the state i
10 turn delivering the commodities I
schools.
10 Commodities are contributed 0
the basis of the number of childre
N certified by school authorities {
10 others as undernourished and
% need Of the lunches. Segregation (
40 discrimination between childre
90 purchasing their lunch and tho:
o0 receiving it free is not permitte
In many cities and towns wi
10 large school enrollments WPA
90 NYA experienced workers frequen
90 ly are available to help prepa
00 and serve the food under specific
standards Of facilities and supe
40 vision.
Rural school programs often o
crate with the voluntary help
M the mothers in the community. fr
90 quently assisted by Extension Ser
- ice county home demonstrate
agents, and with equipment d
90 mated by merchants or secur
through a sponsoring group of j
a terested citizens.
3 The primary need for sponsors
- to secure equipment, or space, a
II the additional foods which must
s9 purchased to supplement the COZ
modities provided
M |