Dear Future President

My name is Chaz Linder, I am 17 years old I go to Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School in Minnesota. I am writing this letter to address an issue that is important to me. I believe that students should have free school lunches. If we get free school lunches they have to be good lunches.

America is ranked as the 12’th most obese country in the world according to World Atlas "29 Most Obese Countries in the World" of which was last modified on the 19’th of September, 2016; nearly three out of four men in the US are considered to be overweight or obese. Michelle Obama is the first advocator of which holds a high position to really try to combat this problem in America by getting to the root of the epidemic, child obesity, starting the Let's Move campaign with the slogan of “America’s Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids” covers nutrition as well as physical activity. Regarding the nutrition (what I will focus on), the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA)” deals with regulations on school food, making the food healthy by the government's standards and creating a regulation on taking enough fruits or vegetables, as well as making breakfast and lunch free for all kids in some schools. In my opinion, this is not enough to fix this issue in American schools.

I come from a family that is very well off in the world. We take lots of vacations, own a couple houses and cars, and I go to a private college preparatory school. What I'm trying to say is that I don’t personally see the issue of nutrition in my school. We have a catering company that makes everything from steak salads to ethnic food. But I have friends that aren’t in the same position as I am. They go to public schools where 15% of all students go home hungry every week because their family can’t afford it. I find that so wrong terrible. Have you ever heard of Food Scarcity, I know you have but it is when a child/ adult doesn’t know where their next meal is. Many children only eat one meal and it isn’t breakfast or lunch. Sometimes not even dinner they go to school hungry and can’t afford to buy lunch or bring one from home. We can help them at least get more than one meal a day if free lunches for students are given to everyone. It could help the parents, and the students.

In order to mend the diet of students in America, the solution needs to delve deeper. Someone of authority needs to implement a more comprehensive food class. Rules mandating what to put on a student's plate does not give them any incentive to actually eat what is forced to be on their plate. Learning what food is made up of, as well as what the components of the food can do to your body will positively impact choice of food. Taking this step further will plant the idea which could last a lifetime to watch what you eat, and it starts where students eat a majority of their food, at school. 

Chaz Linder 12th Grade