In America, there are a subset of children that live in such poverty that without the free school meal, they would go hungry. 2023 statistics suggest that 14% of children come from food insecure households. I honestly believe that government published statistic is an an underestimate. Children from food insecure households can qualify to get free lunches, which are subsidized by state and local government. The federal government also subsidizes school lunches through the National School Lunch Program The logic behind subsidizing lunch for these kids, is that hungry kids are distracted and won’t be able to learn as well. Children that come from families with means generally will be provided lunch by their parents, or their parents can afford to give their kids money to purchase the lunch served by the school cafeteria.