Did you know that 63% of students in Manatee county receive free or reduced lunch? 63%. Wow. I knew the percentage was over 50 because I had researched earlier this year as I've A) been curious and B) included the information in my Golden Herald application because I felt it important to explain why what "Backpack Club Inc." does is so important. But 63%. 63 percent. I know, many of you are probably unimpressed because you think we live in a worthless hell hole and yes, it is Florida, where the economy crashed first and the hardest, but seriously. There are worse places, this is far from a hell hole. I understand that not all of those eligible to receive free and reduced lunch are living these horrifying, devastating, cardboard box lives but still, the majority of students in our county live in homes where the household's income in below the point at which the state feels is enough to provide lunch and breakfast for the children in the family. In all reality, the state's not all that generous.
Like I said before, not all of these students are in serious situations are but are a few who only eat when they're at school. There are kids who don't eat between noon and 7:30 the next morning. Kids who don't eat on Saturdays and Sundays. Their malnourished which caused their immune systems to not be as strong, causing them to be sick more often, causing them to miss more school. When little kids get sick, their parents don't go to work...and that's if they have a job. It's an aweful chain and cycle.
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