Monday, September 17th, & OBP UPDATE!!

     What's for lunch Monday, September 17th?  Pepperoni hoagie with green beans.  

     Here is a breakdown of what I ate for lunch on Monday, September 17th.

• 1 pepperoni hoagie with cheese
• 1/2 pint milk.................................100 calories
• 1/2 cup green beans
• 1/2  cup mixed fruit
• 1/2 cup bell peppers
• 1 juice box...................................100 calories
• Miracle Whip ..............................15 calories

     Today, a sloppy jo on a bun with french fries was offered for the hot item at lunch.  I do not necessarily like sloppy jo's, so I got something from the hoagie line instead.  The fresh green beans were actually pretty fresh, and much tastier than green beans out of the can.  These are the kind of green beans that I can definitely live with.  The pepperoni hoagie, on the other hand, was something quite different.  I opened up the bun to put on some Miracle Whip, and was shocked at how few pepperoni there were.  I counted six small slices on the sandwich.  With a slice of cheese too, there went my  2 daily ounces of protein.  It seems a bit ridiculous to me that the USDA decided on 10-12 ounces a week for protein at lunch.  What were the deciding factors on the limit anyway?  Hopefully I can address that in a future post.

     Remember last week, when I wrote about Operation: Paper Bag?  Well, Jack and a couple of other students of Allentown High school had a meeting with a few administrators from their school, and representatives of their food service provider, Chartwells.  They came to an agreement, which is not yet 100% final, but a decision nonetheless that is a 'win' for the students of Allentown High.  A post on the Operation: Paper Bag Facebook page updates followers on how the meeting went.  

     ". . . one of the available and best rounded options at the time would be to release ourselves from the government program. What that would mean is that the portions would increase back to the size of lunches last year. However, to make up for the funding that the government *used* to give, Allentown would have to      increase the current prices."
Jack, who I talked to last week, was pleased with the results.  "I feel like it's a good solution, and everyone is happy with it," he told me.  Keep posted on more updates from Jack and OPB!

-----If you are a student in a any school across the country, or a parent of a child in school, take a picture of lunch and send it to me, for our post Lunch from Alabama to Wyoming.   Pictures can be sent to teubks@gmail.com-----

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Until next time, stay full!

     

OPB: Operation Paper Bag.

To everyone who reads The School Lunches Suck! Blog, I have big news.  

We are joining forces with another movement against school lunches in New Jersey, called Operation Paper Bag. 

     Operation Paper Bag started out in Allentown High School, largely by a student named Jack Streppone.  Through a friend of a friend of a friend, I was put into contact with Jack.  Pretty quickly, he and I both realized that we didn't like the new changes to school lunch, and we also decided to do something about it.  

     In Jack's high school of about 1,300 students, there is something going on.  Students aren't buying lunch anymore.  They're bringing it.  Operation Paper Bag (OPB) was started by Jack and a few of his friends, and at the forefront of their movement is a petition, with nearly 900 signatures.  Everyday, Jack brings this petition to school, encouraging students to sign it, and lets them know about OPB.  The petition reads, "School lunch portions have decreased, while the prices, have increased! This is ridiculous! We, as students, need to stand up, be heard and do something about this!"  Jack said the reason for the petition and attention being brought to school lunches has a purpose,  "Ultimately our goal is to boycott meals at school, and hit the company that supplies our cafeteria with food and emyployees, Chartwells, where it hurts--financially."  

     Pretty quickly, the Allentown High School administration realized something was up, so the district superintendent set up a meeting between Jack and Chartwells before the full-fledged boycott was on.  Tomorrow, Thursday September 13th, Jack and the other students that started Operation Paper Bag are meeting with Chartwells representatives, employees, and a couple of school officials to talk about the school lunches.  There, Jack is going to present what he has found this year.  "Our lunch is $2.40," Jack went on,"and it's like finger food, but for raised prices!" 

     So over the coming weeks and months, I will be posting updates about Operation Paper Bag, and how things are going for Jack and his cause.  If you would like to follow OPB on twitter, their page is here, and their Facebook page is here.  This is really exciting news for The School Lunches Suck! Blog, so be sure keep posted for what's coming next!!

-----Don't forget to share The School Lunches Suck! Blog with your friends and family on Facebook with the 'share' button on the right.  Also, send in your pictures of school lunch for our challenge: Lunch from Alabama to Wyoming.  Pictures can be sent to teubks@gmail.com -----

Until next time, stay full!