If it doesn't come out of taxpayer's wallets then who is paying?

A federal grant. Where does the fed get the money? Taxes.

Ohhhh! So its being paid by taxpayers not taxpayers.
Got it
Of course the New Derby park will be taken over by the homeless and the police cost will go up. Will that be paid by taxpaers or taxpayers?

I don't have any children, so my taxes go to pay for some wealthy family's kid's breakfasts and lunches?

Yup! And if you don't drive, your tax money still goes toward road improvement, and if you don't produce any trash, it goes toward trash pickup. And even if you're blind, it goes toward street lighting! In the meantime, all kids will be able to focus on learning, without stigma of poverty or distraction of hunger. Terrible, isn't it?

I thought EBT, SNAP and WIC was supposed to provide food for kids. Where does that money go?

The FREE breakfasts and lunches should be only for those that truly need them. NG's logic would imply that EVERYONE should be given Housing assistance and Mass Health as well.

Thanks for your inquiry! The free lunch program is federally funded and parents or guardians who wish to send a lunch from home instead of having their child get the school lunch are still free to do so.

The acquisition of the land at 289 Derby Street was through a bond and the construction of the new park is being made possible through a state grant.

So, let me get this straight: kids who can't afford food at school are just sol? That seems extremely selfish AND short-sighted! If you need data, go online and Google lunch shaming. Otherwise, it would appear that your mother wears combat boots! Not pointing fingers or naming names, but there's a TON of money going to security for a certain tower in NYC, and more to fly to golf courses across the east, and more to maintain mansions for elected officials--elected-- officials!!

Skipper.

"At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge, ... it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."
"Are there no prisons?"
"Plenty of prisons..."
"And the Union workhouses." demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"
"Both very busy, sir..."
"Those who are badly off must go there."
"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."
"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

Also, Skipper: "I thought EBT, SNAP and WIC *were* supposed to provide food for kids. Where does that money go?

Bright green and orange cabs, people pushing shopping carts through the streets and digging through my trash, failing schools, free school lunches, politicians breaking federal laws, taxes and fees rising out of control while the so called poor, on public assistance, are driving BMWs, Mercedes, Lexus and cars that those of us, footing the bill, can't afford to buy.

How sad that people are upset that kids will be able to eat free at school. Perhaps you should also comment on MOW that goes out to elders and often serves as their only nutritious meal for the day. And then you can go after the supportive living apt buildings in Salem (IE 3 Broad St and 27 Charter) for cooking and serving a hot supper meal. The possibilities are endless. And do you know that the schools provide free lunches at Forest River, Nathaniel Bowditch School, Rainbow Terrace, Pequot Highlands, just to name a few of the many areas? I'd guess that is grant funded also. G-d help you should you ever be hungry and dependent on meals paid for by grants that taxpayers provide.

HGB, you are missing the point: What myself and others are concerned with is feeding those that have more than enough money to pay their own way. Some family that is making $200K per year should not be eligible to have their kids fed from funds raised from taxing those that earn less than $50K. That's all.

Robyn, thank you for correcting my grammar! Even when writing my thesis my days at Salem Public Schools proved to be a handicap. Maybe I needed a few better meals to get me through the day, eh?

Thank you for your feedback.

Yes, exactly.

Also:

Can we all agree that raising each other up is for the best of society? Not supplying food for our children in the community is an attack against all that is right in the world.

I understand your concerns about paying for food for kids who aren't in need, but I have to say I think it's a good equalizer. Have any of you ever been the kid in the "free lunch" group? The kids whose only vegetable is a dab of ketchup? The kid whose only meal is lunch? I know these things may still happen, but for the love of human kind - can we all give a tiny bit so the children in our city are well-nourished and can learn?

Robyn,
How is my paying for food for those that can easily afford it a "good equalizer"? Maybe their parents would be so kind as to pay for my new swimming pool and Lexus SUV? That would be a nice "equalizer" too.

Because it isn't actually about you and your desire to have a Lexus or a pool.

Did you read the states in the Salem News article? 40% or more of the families in our schools need assistance to feed their children. This is a huge problem. Kids going to the nurse at 8:00 because they're bellies ache because they are hungry? That's not good for your tax dollars either. These kids are missing class time to go to the nurse to eat, then fail their tests, then fail their standardized tests, can't graduate... and guess who has to help them pay to survive? By feeding them, we are only setting them up to succeed.

Additionally, it's about the fact that currently, the children all know who the "free lunch" kids are. This can cause they to be bullied, or to avoid lunch all together... or to cause embarrassment for their families and the children just plain don't eat. In part because of the stigma you are so elegantly explaining. I won't try to change your mind, but I do hope you take a moment to step back and look in the bottom of your heart to think about how this is actually a very good thing for our community - even if it means we each pay a little tiny bit more. More educated children who aren't hungry is nothing but good for our city.

Thank you, Robyn! I had been appalled by the stories of kids going hungry and being harassed because they were getting different or differently marked lunches! I am very pleased that Salem PS has moved to make things better! It is hard for me to fathom that anyone would want to maintain a system that lets children go hungry or leaves them open to teasing by badly educated classmates. Sounds a lot like the current government in DC, though.

All a program like this achieves is further enabling irresponsible parents. Now that we feed their kids they can get back to making more and getting larger handouts. All the while maintaining their nicotine and alcohol habits and branding a few new tattoos on themselves while they should be seeking to increase their own income to support their families. Next you'll want to increase the minimum wage too. I wonder how that will turn out.

Perhaps, people like Tim, Robyn and Nancy Gilberg, all suffering from " white guilt" feel better lecturing those of us who believe that' if you can't afford to feed or house your family, maybe you shouldn't have had a family. I sleep just fine at night, knowing I can provide for mine and would work 24 hrs a day, if I had to, just to avoid being a burden on other hard working taxpayers, like myself. After all, what sort of parent would allow someone else to provide for their children? That is the parents' duty, not the taxpayers'.

Fascinating you think we are all white and that only white people would feel that guilt...

George Plus include me with Tim, Robyn and Nancy, people I am proud to stand with.

So noted Helaine! All bleeding hearts should stick together, I bet you'll still smile as you're handing over your wallet and watching them lay waste to your neighborhood! You people are so trusting and naive it's pathetic.You'll only realize just how much you've been victimized when it's too late, By then, the rest of us will have left this sinking ship and you'll have no one to defend you. Good luck with your generosity, let us know how it worked out in another 5 or 10 years.

We will happily support your Meals on Wheels and Social Security, George. Kindness will win.

Here's the real question people:
Back in the 80's Salem was on a path to become a bedroom community for urban professionals. We were courting empty nesters, working professionals living in Boston and so on.
How did Salem deteriorate over the past 30 years to end up like Lawrence where our children even need meal assistance?
What's going on in DC now has not had time to be relevant so let's not go there. This is a slow deterioration of our city over a longer period. How did we go from that upscale plan 30 years ago to having to provide meals at school? Other towns succeeded at it but Salem failed to pull it off. Why?

That's a fair question - And I don't know the answer. I am the young professional you mention, though. I live here because of the vibrant downtown and diversity of the people who live here. It's certainly not affordable - I wonder if there are more ways we can help the city become more interested in housing that is affordable? Maybe that would help these families?

Robyn stated that the free lunch program avoids having the "well to do" kids bully those on the free lunch program. Maybe the "well to do" parents need to educate their own children on acceptance and compassion for others? But, her logic is faulty anyways. Seems to me the "well to do" kids would be just as likely, if not more so, to bully the less fortunate kids based on their clothing and housing. So, shouldn't we then be giving everyone a nice house along with current fashionable clothing? Clearly, this sort of logic won't succeed. As we have it now, a good deal of low income families are receiving housing assistance. They are paying between $150-$250 per month for $1,600 apartments. In addition, they are receiving monthly stipends of $750-$950, Food Stamps, free Mass Health etc. Where should we draw the line? We've certainly left them without the incentive, or need to work or advance themselves. What's the point? It must be terrific to sit around on your porch drinking beer, smoking cigs and shooting the breeze all the while a bunch of unknown taxpayers foot the bill. It's a strategy that's worked for millions of years. Cuckoos have been successful laying their eggs in other bird's nests forever. Works out great for them.

Robyn, Salem is one of the more affordable town left, but my question poses the opposite point. That is, why did Salem fail to attract families that can adequately feed their children on their own?