La Crosse kids in great need for things as simple as a meal

In some districts, 46% qualify
for free/reduced lunch

For many families in the La Crosse school district, a food pantry can be as important as school.

Hundreds of families are served by the pantries, said Lyn Halvorson, the school nutrition boss. She says you might not believe just how hungry some children are in a district where 46 percent qualify for free or reduced lunch. 

“Kids eat a lot on Fridays, (because) they’re loading up for the weekend,” Halvorson said. “They maybe go home and the refrigerator might be bare. And then, on Mondays, when they come back, we see a larger consumption of food, too, because the kids were hungry over the weekend.”

A timely donation from an appliance store has helped keep cold food coming from a pantry at one of the district’s elementary schools this week.

Halvorson says each school operates its own food pantry or, in the case of the high schools, provide coupons for those families in need.