Bob Waber thinks children shouldn’t have access to free meals at schools during the summer months because, he says, their parents should provide food (“Do away with student meals,” Our Readers’ Views, June 14). I hate to break it to him, but these days not too many people can afford to have one stay-at-home parent to make those sandwiches Bob remembers from his childhood.
And far from being unwilling to provide food, many people just don’t have the money to buy it. According to the Clark County Food Bank, as of 2020 nearly 15 percent of children don’t have enough food to eat at home, regardless of whether their families get SNAP benefits.
Bob put the words low income in quotes in his letter to tell us that he doesn’t think children getting free food at school truly come from low-income families. But according to the Census Bureau, about 54,500 people in Clark County are considered below the poverty line.
If Bob is concerned about balancing the federal budget, he should not be doing it on the backs of poor children. Instead, he could think about removing subsidies received by oil, gas, and coal companies ($20 billion), or auto manufacturers ($29 billion).
Show a little compassion. Children deserve to eat.
