Clinton: $300M for Global Lunch Plan

Thursday, December 28th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” President Clinton on Thursday announced $300 million in grants to battle world hunger. The money will pay for school lunches in poor countries, just like the school lunch program in this country that feeds poor children.

Approximately 120 million children do not attend school because of hunger or malnutrition, Clinton said. ``That is not right, necessary or sustainable in the 21st Century.''

He added, ``The best way to get parents to send children to school is a healthy meal.''

The program will deliver over 680,000 metric tons of food to support 49 separate programs in 38 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. About 9 million children will be reached, Clinton said.

``What we would like is to prove through this pilot program that a., we can make this work and b., we can do it without disrupting farm economies,'' Clinton said at a White House ceremony.

The food will be distributed through the United Nations' World Food Program and private voluntary organizations such as Catholic Relief Services of Baltimore and CARE USA of Atlanta.

Africare of Washington and Mercy Corps International of Portland, Ore., will provide high protein biscuits and milk throughout the school year for 65,000 students in Eritrea.

The Agriculture Department subsidizes lunches for 27 million U.S. children, including 15 million who get meals for free or at reduced prices. The program cost $6 billion last year.

Under the Global Food for Education program, officials will spend $300 million, mostly to buy surplus U.S. soybeans, corn, wheat, rice and nonfat dry milk.

``It might have a positive effect on agriculture,'' said former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan.

The project was the idea of former Sen. George McGovern, D-S.D., U.S. representative to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and Democratic presidential candidate in 1968. He pitched it to Clinton at a White House meeting in May.

The availability of free lunches would improve nutrition overseas, bring into the classroom children who otherwise would go without an education, and provide an outlet for surplus U.S. farm commodities, McGovern said.

``A daily lunch will draw girls and boys into the schools and will improve their health and their learning capabilities,'' he said.