The Home News and Courier ran an article back in 2010 about students being served breakfast prior to the start of classes. This was in Edison, N.J. This didn’t seem to be working out since less than 1% of eligible students were receiving breakfast. That was in 2010 so a time on the clock was made. Let’s serve breakfast after the bell rings. By 2013 70% of these kids were having breakfast, plus the Federal Meal Reimbursements were covering the cost.
In the year 2013, New Jersey was giving low income children a good healthy breakfast to about 50,000. I think this number will climb during 2014. I would like to see that percentage climb to 100% not only in New Jersey but in the entire United States.
I’m not asking you to agree with me, but you must understand and feel what it is like to be hungry.
I’m not going to cry the blues or give you a bunch of sad stories but I want to share some hunger with you. In 1940, I was in a public school and I stayed back in Grade 6. Guess they call that repeating a grade now – if there is such a thing. That’s the year my Dad became very sick. I believe God took care of me after this. The following year in 1941 I transferred to St. Francis School in Metuchen. My Father died that year. The Pastor of that little wooden church was Father John J. Foley. He made me his Altar Boy and we would say Mass every morning at the Convent on Main Street at 7 a.m. (Mass was in Latin back then and I’m lucky I could speak English). After Mass, the Nuns would always have breakfast for Father Foley. He would say to me every morning, “Sonny, go into the dining room and have breakfast. My Housekeeper in the Rectory will have something for me.” I had a Breakfast Program before the bell back some 70 years ago. As long as I live, I will never forget this. Msgr. John J. Foley DIED in 1970. I graduated from college in 1960 and Msgr. Foley still called me Sonny. Perhaps I was a son to him.
Am I all for this Breakfast Program in N.J. and the United States? I’m 100% for it because I can still remember what it was like waiting for that peanut butter and jelly sandwich at noontime.
The Convent I spoke of is now the Bishop’s House, but if you drive past it on Main Street, you will still see the stained glass windows (not sure if the chapel is still there) but just behind it is where Sonny had his orange juice, pancakes and bacon and eggs every morning.
Let’s all have breakfast for a good morning start.
-Thomas Francis Clark
