[Opinion] Warm Lunchboxes

When There Is No Lunch Box by Kim Sa-bin

Lunchtime with a lunch box

Sitting on the backyard of the school, I look at the sky

And then I sit on the narrow wooden corridor

I catch lice to forget hunger

It is fun

School is finished

On my way home,

I think about the rice pot

Will there be any rice?

If the rice pot is cold

If I plump down

So does the kitchen

If the rice pot is warm

I feel full

Without even eating rice

Not only the poet but average Koreans in their 40s and 50s would still remember the time when they were so poor that they had to skip lunch at school.

It is hard to believe that there are still hungry children in Korea while the national income per-capita is expected to surpass $20,000 in a very near future. There are now a greater number of reasons for skipping a meal than before; Not because of money, but because of the absence of parents to take care of; Too embarrassed to go to a free meal service center; Because the vouchers were cashed to buy snacks or beverages. Although the government came up with new measures after a poor school lunch program at a school in Jeju Island caused a great stir in January 2005, there hasn’t been any significant improvement. The situation is much worse during school breaks.

Meanwhile, Guri City in Gyeonggi Province is garnering much attention because the city government and civil organizations have joined hands to provide warm lunches to needy children and senior citizens living alone. The Guri city government has purchased vacuum lunch boxes to provide warm meals with its budget. Voluntary organizations, including the Saemaul Women’s Association and the Lions Club, cook rice and make side dishes by turns every morning at the Community Center of Guri City. The volunteers of churches and dong offices deliver vacuum lunch boxes with warm rice and side dishes to designated children’ houses.

One of the most noticeable characteristics of Guri City’s model is that it utilizes the resources and manpower of civil organizations to cut labor cost in cooking and delivery. Thanks to the reduced cost, higher quality meals are provided to children. Of course, the program also gives volunteers an opportunity to help their neighbors. Thus, it can be said a win-win situation. “It is hard to make time because I have a job, but I have been delivering lunchboxes for four years because of the children who become happy when they receive a lunchbox,” said Lee Won-young, who delivers lunch every Thursday with his wife and six-year old child.

Chung Sung-hee, Editorial Writer, shchung@donga.com