There Is Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? In some schools the idea is even encouraged.

Marketplace reports that in New Jersey, schools get $97,000 in funds per student. Now the state's high court has said that if a child also signs up for a free lunch, an extra $5,000 gets tacked on to that. The idea is that if a student qualifies for a free lunch, this child will probably need more educational resources, too.

Meanwhile, in New York, the Staten Island Advance reports that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is trying to expand the free lunch program to more kids. As it stands, yearly earnings of $28,665 or less for a family of four qualifies a child for free lunch in the state. But we all know that to stretch $30,000 a year in a New York City grocery store essentially means really loving cereal and sandwiches for dinner. So Gillibrand wants to up the earnings mark to $40,792 for places with high costs of living.

The main holdup for free lunch has less to do with finding the money to do it, than the stigma attached to receiving it because it means you're poor, you need a handout. But in this case, a free lunch doesn't mean hand out. It means hand up.

Photo courtesy of DaveyNin, via Flickr