Lunch. My favorite class in school. No seriously, if I had to give myself a grade for it, I'd get an A+ every single day and year...at least till my junior year in high school. My dad, unfortunately, lost his job and it was a really scary time for me. I worry about everything, many people know, and so I automatically began to worry about my family's financial situation, which isn't really my business as a child, but I couldn't help myself.
The main thing that worried me the most was food. Would I even be able to bring lunch to school? Well, yeah, my family was still financially stable for a while for me to do that, but then my mom told me about how I would be able to get free lunches at school due to our financial situation. All I had to do was swipe my student ID and be on my way to eat.
At first, I was completely embarrassed about not being able to pay for lunch, my friends would ask why I got to get free food. I felt singled out until I learned how many kids at my high school went through the program too. It made me feel fortunate that our school district was fortunate enough to have the money to cover our meals so no child went hungry. What I didn't realize though, was that not all schools in Illinois were as lucky as we were.
Just recently did Gov. Rauner sign a bill to make a law about this.
I'm really not into politics, but when I heard about the new law in class the other day, it made me stop and wonder why it wasn't a law before. There were students in Illinois who weren't able to afford lunch, any nutrition for themselves, and the schools wouldn't be able to have the money to take care of them. The thought left me feeling heartbroken. What if these children didn't get enough food at home either? They'd go hungry, and lack of proper nutrition can take a dangerous toll on their education and health. What if they were scared about not being able to have anything?
I know what it's like to be in their shoes, and it's hard to take it all in, even as an upperclassman in high school. Even when financial things aren't for the children to worry about, knowing that a parent doesn't have a job and hearing them talk about every expense they're worried about can make any kid wonder and worry about the future. Kids are much smarter than people think they are.
But now, I can be happy. The law takes effect immediately and I couldn't feel more satisfied. Schools are required to give lunches to students who qualify for the statewide program. Children who were less fortunate would be fed lunch. At least it would be one more meal in their day.
