Late-day meals fill empty bellies, By Lisa Rathke (AP), May 10, 2010, Boston Globe: “While the other preschoolers were warming up to the vegetable pesto lasagna, Avery Bennett dived in with no hesitation. ‘Can I have some more lasagna?’ the 3-year-old said from her booster seat. ‘I love it.’ She moved on to her seconds, and the other children at the evening-care program were also chomping down on the dish made of spinach, peppers, carrots, tomato, fresh basil, and cheese. More low-income schoolchildren could soon have access to free nutritious dinners like the lasagna that Avery loved. A US Department of Agriculture program in Vermont, 12 other states, and the District of Columbia provides reimbursements for the suppers, served at after-school programs for at-risk children in communities where at least 50 percent of households fall below the poverty level…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty