Canteen lady fired for giving lunches to hungry students
A US canteen lady has been fired for giving away school lunches to hungry children who could not afford to buy them.
Kitchen manager Della Curry told KCNC-TV she is unashamed of her actions and was surprised the reaction to her good deed by the board at Dakota Valley Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado. She was fired last week.
"I had a first grader in front of me, crying, because she doesn't have enough money for lunch. Yes, I gave her lunch," Mrs Curry said.
In school’s district, students who do not qualify for the free lunch or reduced lunch program receive one slice of cheese on a hamburger bun and a small milk. Mrs Curry believes the threshold is far too high.
Mrs Curry said the meal is not sufficient and she often felt compelled to pay for students’ lunches out of her own pocket.
"I'll own that I broke the law. The law needs to change," she said.
To qualify for the free lunch program, a family of four would have to have a household income of around $AUD39,000. To qualify for a reduced lunch, the threshold is below $AUD57,000.
"Kids whose parents make too much money to qualify, but a lot of times they don't have enough money to eat," Mrs Curry explained.
She said she hopes her story will lead to some changes.
"If me getting fired for it is one way that we can try to change this, I'll take it in a heartbeat."
News break - June 3
