New Mexico does away with the dark world of ‘Lunch Shaming’

‘New Mexico Appleseed is a nonprofit organization working to alleviate the state’s rampant hunger and homelessness that afflicts the innocent children of low-income families. The statistics they’ve compiled are startling. Nearly 29 percent of all New Mexico children are hungry, and 25.7 percent of these young ones live in poverty.
The unemployment average for parents is 38 percent. Due to this statistic, the school lunch program provides a critical source of nutrition for many poor elementary and middle school students. But, until recently, reports AppleseedNetwork.org, if parents couldn’t pay their child’s school lunch bill, the children would pay for it with public humiliation. In some cases, their hot meals were thrown into the trash “in front of everyone.” The affected students were then given a sandwich, some fruit and milk, reports the New York Times, along with a good dose of ridicule and shame.
Other examples of this “lunch shaming” include having the children work off their debt by doing chores in the cafe, wearing wristbands, and even being sent home with “I need lunch money” stamped on their hands.’
Read more: New Mexico does away with the dark world of ‘Lunch Shaming’