Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-03-07
STATES SCHOOL
LUNCH PROGRAM
MUCH ENLARGED
$4,000 STUDENTS PARTICIPATE;
10000 COULD BE BENEFITED
BY DAILY LUNCHEON

It is estimated 10000 Montana
school children could benefit from q
noaIrishing daily lunch at school, The
program is being expanded this year
To reach 10000. According to Dwight
Iohn OF the Montana department OF
public welfare, more than $4,000 chill
dren were served lunches in the state
during December, 1871, and 232,922
pounds of commodities valued at
sI5.324.9O were distributed by the sur
plus marketing administration.
During the last school year 100000
pounds Of food, valued at more than
seOOOOO we're distributed to Montana
school children. The amount Of food
distributed during the school year
1941-l942 will be larger, due to the
increase in the number of children
served
The foods provided to the schools
free of charge this year are as follows
Apples, wheat cereal, cornmeal, graham
flour, white flour, evapOrated milk,
SKINNED milk, dried prunes, raisinss,
soup. canned pork and beans canned
tomatoes. salt pork. fresh grapefruit,
lard and canned peaches. A limited
distribution of honey and peanut
butter has been possible.
The mechanics Of the community
school lunch program are quite simple,
but successful operation depends upon
the initiative of state and community
sponsors and the close cooperation
between the sponsors and state and
federal agencies. The department Of
public instruction is the state sponsor /
of the community school lunch pro-
gram in Montana. The local sponsors,
such as school boards. principals,
teachers, parent-teacher associations,
or civic organizations file application
for the program with the Montana
department of public welfare, make
arrangements for cooking and serving
the lunches, and determine which chill
dren shall be eligible. This is done &C
cording to standards and regulations
laid down by the surplus marketing
administration.
WPA Gives Assistance
The Montana work projects admin
Istration has been of invaluable as
sistance to local projects in getting
organized, In planning menus, and In
addition, the WPA has been able to
supply a large number of cooks from /
It's uroject rolls. The WPA now has
nearly 800 cooks assisting in $50 lunch
projects throughout the state.
The school is then eligible to receive,
tree of charge, through the commodity
division of the Montana
of public welfare, the foods
listed The United States department
Of agriculture, through the surplus
marketing administration, purchases
these price-depressed foods from
farmers in order to expand the agri-
cultural market On order from the
state department of public welfare,
these commodities are shipped to the
district and county warehouses where
they may be picked up by the schools.
Generally the state uses WPA workers
Ia maintaining the warehouses and IN
making deliveries to the counties.
The school itself provides some stor-
lge space since deliveries are made n
,nly once or twice a month OF course, A
he foods which the surplus marketing =
distributes free Of .
barge to the schools are not always S
deuuate for well-balanced meals. In :
his case, the sponsoring agencies or =
Their interested persons in the COM B
lnity have often been able to supply
dditional foods to round out the c,
lenus. The parent-teacher association d
lays large part in establishing and D
maintaining the program in most G
;hools. r
o Discrimination -
Great care is taken by the school ~
authorities and others directly in dt
large of the lunches to see that no fe
Iscrimination is made between the nc
lild whose parents can make contri- vi
ltions and the child whose parents T,
lnnot. If the ticket system is used, d
1ly the teacher or principal knows a.
hich children get free lunches
Improvement in scholarship, vitality, on
tendance at school, politeness, order T.l
ness and table manners have been %
oted in schools where the lunches NJ
ave been provided for some time, ~
ficials state. In addition, children
JUS served cannot help but have i'm la
owed health and a more satisfied no
ew Of the workings Of democracy. Di