Free meal or attend class? School schedules force some low-income families to choose
By Naomi Martin Globe Staff,Updated December 15, 2020, 9:22 a.m.
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The race against the clock starts at 10:50 a.m., when the second-grade Zoom class goes on a lunch break.
Rebecca Wood, a single mother who doesnât have a car, and her daughter, Charlie, have precisely 40 minutes to walk to Charlieâs school in Revere, wait in line, pick up food for the next few days, and rush home to scarf down the meal â usually nachos, pizza, or chicken nuggets, with carrots and fruit â before class starts again. Charlie is sometimes late to log back on, but itâs the only way the family can get the crucial free meals, which are distributed from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Friday.