A True Story

I live in a military community. Ft. Drum Army Base is my neighbor. Literally. One of the gates is less than a mile down the road. My friend Corey flies Blackhawks on patrol around the perimeter of the base and my house, all the time. I'm not sure if I'm more protected or more of a target because of my location. The upside is that my taxes are less because the government gives subsidies to the local school district based on the amount military kids in the school. Anyways ... the story ... My wife has a friend who lives in one of the army neighborhoods off the base. It's a little tract development with condos. The children in this neighborhood participate in the government subsidized free lunch and breakfast program at the school. In the summer the school still has the free lunches for any kids in the school district. I didn't know it but they need this program to survive. So my wife's friend has been going over to the school for lunch all summer, and she started taking some of the other kids in the neighborhood. Word got out and others wanted to go to -- more than she could handle. Upon investigating the problem a little farther, most of these families could afford only one car, which the soldier spouse takes to work each day. The family is left at home with no way to get the kids to school for lunch. So in many cases, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FEED THEIR KIDS LUNCH! Yes, that is correct: in some cases a soldier is unable to afford to feed his kids lunch. God bless this friend of my wife, who called a local agency and now lunch and an afternoon snack is being delivered to the community room in this neighborhood for 30-40 kids. Poverty knows no bounds.