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Philadelphia’s Free Lunch Program Saved
The USDA has decided not to end Philadelphia’s universal school feeding program, at least for the time being. A department spokesperson told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the USDA would postpone consideration of the initiative until the child nutrition reauthorization.
Philadelphia’s universal feeding program — set up as a pilot in 1991 — allows all students to receive a free meal without filling out an application or declaring household income. The USDA announced last week that it would follow a Bush administration edict to scrap the program, saying it could no longer give Philadelphia special treatment.
But it looks like a wave of outrage from city officials and Pennsylvania congressmen convinced Ag Secretary Vilsack to reconsider. Those congressmen are now hoping not only to extend the program in Philadelphia, but also to expand it to other cities like New York and San Francisco. Senator Bob Casey said he would introduce legislation next week that would create a national universal feeding program. Stay tuned for more details — that should be a real test of America’s commitment to child nutrition.
June 6th, 2009 at 10:34 am
How does making the same drek universally free improve nutrition?