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Feeding the Starving
Munich, Germany.
Count Rumford begins to teach and feed starving children. The meals consisted of no meat due to high cost. Soup was a main food and usually consisted of potatoes, barley, and peas. Count Rumford tried to find new ways of getting nutritious meals at a low cost. -
Children's Aid Society of New York
In 1853, the Children's Aide Society of New York began a program to feed meals to students. However, this was only in effect in vocational schools, and did not have the backing or the following to encourage other organizations to form and follow their lead. -
"The Society for People's Kitchens in the Public Schools"
Angers, France
Inspired by the work of Victor Hugo, who while exiled made it a mission to provide the money for hot meals for school children, The Society for People's Kitchens in the Public Schools began to provide meals at school for children who were unable to pay. -
The Philanthropic School Society in Hamburg
Children in need were given free food, clothing, and school books by the Philanthropic School Society. This sparked the beginning of privately funded school feeding societies. -
Need for Government Support
Investigation was conducted to look into the need for government backing and support in school feeding in Germany. This investigation and it's official report sparked a lot of interest. -
School Meals Provided in Cities in Germany
Due to the interest gained from the publication of the report in 1896, a bill was introduced in Reichstag stating that school meals would be provided for children in all cities. The bill did not pass due to negative views on city population increases, however it did serve to encourage local governments to act accordingly. -
Holland Leads the Way
As implemented by royal decree, Holland began supplying food and clothing to needy school aged children in 1900. Holland was the first country to have national legislation to provide school lunches. They noticed that when children were starving, they were not able to attned school. In order for the children to have attendence, they needed food and clothing. -
Publication of Poverty by Robert Hunter
This book, Poverty, had a very strong influence on the effort to feed starving and poverty-stricken children in the US. He stated that at the elementary age, when children need the most nurturing, parents were often absent becasue they had to work (to try to decrease the poverty). He also stated that when children are hungry, they are not fit to complete work or tasks which are required to be accomplished in schools, and that children in New York often arrive hungry and tired. -
England passes the Education Provision of Meals Act
365 private and charitable organizations were created to supply children with meals during the school day. Because of the efforts of these organizations, the nation could fully see the need for concern and for action. -
First Federal Aid
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation granted loans to multiple towns in Missouri, this becoming the first form of federal aid related to school lunch programs. The loans were provided to cover the expense of preparing and serving school lunches. The assistance continued to expand in 1933 and 1934, reacing out to 39 states. -
School Milk Programs
Chicago
Federal assistance to profide milk in school began with 15 elementary schools. The schools were located in lower income areas of the city. Children who were unable to pay for milk were given milk for free, the cost being covered by donations. -
WPA Program in All States
All states were operating the WPA school lunch prgram (including DC and Puerto Rico). On average, 2 million lunches were being served to school students daily. This took place in a total of 23,160 schools across the nation. It is important to note that this program also provided jobs for many, as it employed 64,298 citizens. -
Approval of NSLA
In 1946 the 79th Congress approved the National School Lunch Act after recognizing the need for it. The program was given permanency and authorization. They stated that it had proven beneficial for school children, and rather than have it on a year to year basis, the need for it to be permanant was real. -
First Amendment to the NSLA
The first amendment for the National School Lunch Act took place in 1952. It addressed the issue concerning the dividing of funds to the states of Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. -
National School Lunch Week
The Joint Resolution of Congress establishes that there will be a National School Lunch Week to celebrate the implementation of the NSLP with activities for students and ceremonies. It is to begin on the second Sunday of October, every year. -
USDA Agricultural Research Servide
Research conducted by the USDA finds that more than 1/3 of households with an income of $10,000 or more did not have diets which met all levels of nutrients. The rating declined as the income did. -
Child Nutrition Act
Child Nutrition Act is set in place. Within this act, Congress explains the relationship between food and good nutrition, as well as the relationship between food and education due to the success of the NSLP. -
Publication of Hunger USA
The Citizen's Board of Inquiry into Hunger and Malnutrition in the United States published their research findings from their nation-wide study. They concluded that at least 10 million citizens of the US were suffering from starvation and were malnurished in some way. They also stated the need for emergency assistance for these hungry individuals. -
CBS Television Documentary
CBS stations aired a documentary displaying multiple cases of poverty to show the need for free or at the very least, reduced priced lunches for children. -
President Addresses the Nation
The President sent a message to congress to describe the issue facing the country, as well as a plan for government agencies to eliminate malnutrition and starvation. The goal was to create a healthy diet for all Americans.