Free school meals - WHY

[MrsSpringfield]

Could anyone help me articulate an argument as to why children from lower income families should receive a free school meal 5 days a week.
Why it is beneficial?

There is a mum on my class watsapp group, from another country originally, who is basically saying they shouldn't provide kids with FSM and that it's not a high priority. (The school have temporarily stopped serving food. It's a primary school. ) She says where she's from they don't do it and they shouldn't do it here either.

I am so inarticulate I don't dare respond in my own words... but noone else has said anything and I feel I ought to stand up for FSM!!

@Jellycatspyjamas, “we provide FSM because we have as a society decided that feeding children is a good thing”
@MrsSpringfield use that.

I would send something like:

I’m willing to run the risk that a parent is taking the piss, than leaving a small child to f hungry at school. It sounds very much like what you mean is that you actually don’t care that some children might go hungry because it’s not your problem?

Britain is a welfare state - so feeding children who would otherwise go hungry is part of that. Other countries might not have welfare as such a strong theme.

I think the silence speaks for itself, maybe if no one responds she will have a little think about why that is.

If you do feel the need to say something I'd just say, "you're very lucky that this isn't something you have to worry about but some children this will be the only meal they have all day and surely you don't begrudge that? Children need food to function, we all do."

@rorosemary

As a foreigner I find it really weird that FSM is even necessary. To me it is a sign of overall neglect if parents can't properly feed their children and I wonder if they should even be/stay their parents in that case. It seems to me that FSM isn't the solution to the original problem, but just a way to make sure that the victim (the child) isn't hurt as much by whatever the original problem is.

Having said that, just taking away the meals would hurt those vulnerable children the most so isn't an option at all. It would be better if the source of the problem gets acted on.

What a ridiculous comment. Situations can change. If parents are struggling to feed a child properly because of whatever reason, that does not mean it is wilful neglect, or neglect at all. FSM are to ease the burden on parents on low incomes. The parents could have lost a job as is the case now in COVID. Who is to blame for this? So you mean because someone's bussiness shut down or they lost a job so we should question whether they should keep their kids? What a way to think! If a father gets cancer or a mother gets cancer and only one parents survives, struggling to feed their children, would you suggest taking away these kids.

@CloudyVanilla

On second thought it actually just sounds like spiteful insecure posturing on her part. All this "look how eeeeaaassy it is" just sounds like her trying to let everyone know what a great parent she is and how she can't even contemplate some parents would struggle with such a basic thing

This is probably true. People that do this are desperate to look and feel good about themselves and for them, insulting others is the only way they know how to do this.

It's a safety net to protect the most vulnerable children of our society. I think that's all you need to know really.