Winchell Elementary

This elementary school is located in a historic neighborhood with characteristics of benign neglect due to this great country's unusual overseas preoccupations since 911 along with the dearth of local stimulus opportunities. The school itself appears to be run much as other local schools. A much touted benefit this year is the free lunch program for all FUSD schools (which also includes free breakfast and snacks). The problem I have as a volunteer and observer is the extraordinary amount of waste taking place particularly as observed here.

The amount of plastic waste used to wrap the trays, the individual food items, and utensils is enough to shrink wrap a baby whale every day. The contract with the USDA and courtesy of MO is healthy-looking enough. But why aren't cafeterias serving fresh meals anymore??? Fresh cooked cafeteria meals would employ Fresno locals and businesses; instead, the microwaved lunch plates typically include something like meat patty, cornbread (wrapped), diced fruit (wrapped), utensils (wrapped). An afternoon snack consisted of chicken salad (tin can), bite sized crackers (wrapped), fruit slices (wrapped), and juice. Most children would settle for milk and graham crackers rather than red-eye airplane snack.

The amount of food wasted is enough to feed 200 homeless people (there are 25000) in Fresno. Most of the children do not bother with the chicken salad and throw the tin cans straight into the garbage. (They don't have that much time to eat anyway). The amount of waste per classroom is extraordinary. One classroom uses one to two 33 gallon sized plastic garbage cans per day filled with a mix of construction paper, wash paper, uneaten/unopened food, drinks, and other garbage.

When the children wash their hands, no one tells them to conserve water or towel paper, so they turn on the water full force, and use a yard of towel paper each.

It is appalling that the teachers are sending messages that "waste is okay" to these low-income children. Appalling because if they don't eat the food, they should at least set aside the uneaten, unopened food for sharing with those less fortunate, often just outside the school gates, pushing grocery carts. It is sending a message of exceptionalism; however, the irony is that at least a few teachers use this to justify a parochial perspective.

This equates to harmful teaching since nothing should be wasted, not even water. Honestly, the school district policy of free food parochialism equates largesse with waste, as if the more waste generated, the more that has been accomplished. Worse, as the students grow accustomed to waste, presume that staff will pick up after them, they purposely litter as a way to vent or show off.

Additionally students and community are internalizing that shrink-wrapped foods are fast foods which are a waste-able. A fundamental disconnect with nature is fostered undermining the entire Michelle Obama healthy food vision. Students graduate with the notion that good food originates from a food factory and includes lots of additives and preservatives.

At a time when this area is suffering unprecedented drought and economic crisis, FUSD should use their free lunch program to instill character so that these students develop life-long skills such as self-regulation, self-esteem, and other noble ideals, rather than more people with low self-esteem, class-consciousness, and learned narcissism.