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I had to take a while to process, but you probably knew this was coming. There are people much more eloquent and knowledgeable than me on the Free School Meals food hamper debacle - do go check out @BootstrapCook and @MarcusRashford . But here's what's getting to me...
It's the idea from a small but vocal group that people shouldn't complain - that they should in fact be grateful to be provided with anything. And that, to be frank, is complete and utter tripe.
Firstly - can I just point out that the parents of so many children receiving these parcels are in work? And that a huge amount of that work is likely to be keywork at the moment. So we have parents risking their lives in a global pandemic, underpaid and underappreciated
In order for their children to receive 2 overripe bananas and a potato to eat. But secondly, it shouldn't flipping matter what the parents are doing. We feed children because they need feeding. Our moral fibre is demonstrated by how we treat the most vulnerable,
and, on current showing, there isn't any fibre at all - in our morals or in these pathetic excuses for lunches. Thirdly, I have heard it said, so many times, "beggars can't be choosers". Now i'm all for encouraging children to have a varied diet, but do you regularly force
yourself to eat food you just cannot stand, just because? No? So why do we expect our children to? Not even to mention those with specific sensory requirements about food. Giving vouchers would mean parents could buy things their children would eat. Shocking concept...
but of course, here we come to it. We can't give vouchers because we can't trust parents to spend them on the right things. Do you have any idea of how hurtful that is? Poor is not a synonym for immoral, reckless, or neglectful. Most parents would give their lives for their
children, which is why so many go without food so their children can eat. If you want reckless, might I suggest you start with a good many of our extremely privileged current government? Maybe we need to suggest that they should go for a week on 8 slices of cheese and a frube.
This is ridiculous. And meanwhile, whilst those who can frantically pick up the pieces of yet another omni-shambles, children suffer damage to their physical, emotional and mental health, simply because those in power cannot be bothered with the powerless.
