New York City’s public schools serve roughly a million kids two daily free meals. Every child in these schools walks up to the same counter every day and receives their lunch, regardless of need and without any indication of their capacity to pay. This program is profoundly beneficial in integrated schools like Kina’s, where over half the students live in poverty and would otherwise need to either volunteer their need or forgo meals out of necessity or shame.

Kina is fortunate that she can have Cheerios whenever she wants, but I am glad she and her classmates get them every morning in the classroom, together, for free. I am also glad she told us about this program herself, because I knew nothing about it, and it really explains why she hasn’t been eating all her breakfast at home since she started school and re-discovered Cheerios.

Once again, public schools demonstrate the power of socialist programs to protect the most vulnerable among us by providing for all of us; don’t take it for granted.

dad