All over the United States, public schools provide their students with low-cost lunches and even breakfast.  But what about dinner?  Studies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has shown that many families cannot afford suitable meals for their children on a daily basis.  Schreiber has greatly helped some students by providing breakfast and lunch; should it start providing dinner too? 

The New York City school system sets an example by providing offerings after school, consisting of hot and cold meals as well as snacks.  The food items they provide after school include yogurt with raisins, pretzels, fresh fruits, and assorted wraps.

Around the country, schools have profoundly impacted students’ lives by providing lunch—and sometimes breakfast— to students at a low cost (or even for free to those that meet certain criteria).  School-provided meals allow families to worry less about putting food on the table, enabling students to focus on their academics.

“Providing lunches for students is valuable so they don’t have to worry about not having anything to eat,” said freshman Olivia Gade.

Still, should Schreiber provide full dinners to its students?  Schreiber lets its students out of school at 3:05.  With lots of homework and after school activities, many people do not eat dinner until 6 p.m. at the earliest.  Without proper storage, the food could go bad or not taste as fresh as it otherwise would have.  Additionally, the opportunity to cook with families may help students build healthier relationships and lifelong memories.  It also teaches problem solving and organization, and gives elders the chance to share with youth traditional family recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.  Pre-prepared meals may limit students’ cultivation of cooking skills, an important thing to have in life.  

“My concern with students picking up dinner around three is if they’re not eating it until six or seven the food can spoil and people can get sick,” said freshman Addyson Rejwan.

However, there are still many things that Schreiber can do to help families without providing full after-school meals, such as offering after-school snacks to be eaten right after school.  This could be beneficial for students who might not get home until six by keeping them full until then.  Although Schreiber already has vending machines, perhaps it could provide students with healthier snacks like fresh fruits or vegetables that they can take to go.  This might be helpful for students who have practice after school and need an energy boost.  Some students also eat lunch at 10:30 a.m., which is a long time to wait until a 6 p.m. dinner or later. 

“Offering snacks would be nice so students can keep full until they eat dinner,” said freshman Juliet Feinblum.

Another thing that Schreiber can do instead of giving out pre-cooked meals is provide meal kits with all ingredients inside ready to be cooked.  These kits can include ingredients such as canned foods that can be kept at room temperature for several hours, so that people would not worry about the food going bad.  Furthermore, these kits would enable families to cook together, which would reinforce bonds and help students develop critical culinary skills. 

“Meal kits would help people get the food they need while still spending time with family,” said freshman Athena Dritsas.

A potential concern with this new program would be funding.  To solve this, Schreiber could set up a fundraising page where members of the community can donate to help provide healthy snacks and meal kits.  This way, the school will ensure that no child is left hungry and has a healthy meal to look forward to each night. 

Schreiber currently provides free breakfast and lunch meals for all students as a result of federal pandemic aid.  In this spirit, the school could additionally fundraise to provide healthy snacks and meal kits to students in need to support students at suppertime.