Free Lunch!

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It's that time of year again...school is out and the free lunch program has begun! Compliments of the school system, children 1-18 can go to select locations every work day, and receive a free lunch. Our kids love it. They get to eat and then play at the park almost every single day. It's a win for us grown-ups, as well. Eating out means we don't have the afternoon lunch clean up. That means there are less crumbs on the floor, less stickiness on the table, and fewer dishes to wash. Our grocery budget also goes down and the kids get their energy out after eating. I love everything about this program except for one thing... ...Because of food safety concerns, some of the meals are only good for "x" amount of time. That means when the 1/2 hour allotted for lunch is over, the excess food gets tossed in the trash. No ifs, ands, or butts. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone but, last year the lunch-lady (who was also our fellow neighbor) let us take home the leftovers. This year, however, the lunch-lady is a stranger. And she's a stickler to the rules. So every day I watch in dismay as food that could feed my family of 8 for another meal or two, is dumped into the abyss. What a waste.