By Jason Michael White, Daily Journal of Johnson County staff writer
Michal Hobbs and her family of four moved to Franklin in September after they lost their house because of foreclosure.
Her husband was laid off from his job at Indianapolis Power and Light, and they no longer could afford to pay the mortgage.
They have a 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. Both are enrolled in the free and reduced-price lunch program at Franklin schools. The program saves the family nearly $100 a month, which is a help when it comes to all the bills they are struggling to keep up with.
The number of students getting free and reduced-price lunches has increased about 3.5 percent in Johnson County school districts during the past five months. While the percentage of students in the program usually fluctuates during the school year, this is a larger than typical increase.
School officials blame the slumping economy and increased job losses, which have made it difficult for families to pay bills and put food on the table, let alone give their kids lunch money.
Parents have even said to us, 'Oh, I was laid off,' or 'Oh, my husband was laid off,'" said Jill Overton, food service director with Franklin schools.
The highest increase was in the Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson school district. The district had an estimated 8 percentage point increase from September to January, making the number of students in the program 22.3 percent of the district's enrollment.
Edinburgh has the highest percentage of students in the free and reduced-price lunch program. About 55 percent of the school district's students are enrolled, a 2 percentage point increase from September.
"It's the economy," said Tammy Lewis, school district business manager. "We've had several layoffs in the community, and one factory closed in the summer."
Many families who signed up for free and reduced-price lunches after the school year started said they were doing so because of job layoffs or the poor economy.
For instance, Hobbs still has her job with Anthem in downtown Indianapolis, but without her husband's pay of about $30 an hour, the family's budget is tight, she said.
"He was making good money," she said. "To lose that income was harsh."
Her husband has searched for another job, but wherever he goes, they tell him that either he is overqualified or applications aren't being accepted, she said.
"They think that he's not going to be committed and leave as soon as something better comes along," Hobbs said. "He's like: 'If I didn't need a job, I wouldn't be here.'"
The couple lost their house on the southside and now rent an apartment in Franklin. The family can afford to pay rent but not a mortgage, she said.
They struggle to get bills paid, she said. This week, she went to Human Services Inc. to get help paying her utility bills because the family was in jeopardy of having the power shut off, she said.
The free and reduced-price lunch program saves her family about $5 per school day, or nearly $100 a month. When you're struggling to pay your bills, every penny you can save is important, Hobbs said.
"It absolutely helps," she said. "It saves on the grocery bills, for one thing."
The income guidelines for free and reduced-price lunches are the same for each school district. But children in households getting food stamps can enroll in the program regardless of the family's income.
Families can apply for free and reduced-price lunches anytime during the school year, which helps families who experience job losses after school starts.
Students are assigned numbers, and all they have to do is give their number to the cafeteria workers, which is how it works for students who prepay for their lunches.
Franklin resident Bernice Coryell said this system keeps her grandson from being embarrassed that he's in the program.
Coryell and her husband currently live on unemployment benefits but also support their daughter-in-law, 7-year-old grandson and infant grandson. Coryell was laid off from her job at Checkered Flag restaurant in December, and her husband was laid off from his job at Vinyl Craft Flooring in October.
In the meantime, her son and his wife were going through a divorce, and the wife had to quit her job at Walmart to take care of her newborn.
Coryell's daughter-in-law and grandchildren moved from family member to family member until they ended up at a homeless shelter in Indianapolis.
"I couldn't let them stay there," Coryell said. "It was crowded. The kids were scared."
Now Coryell and her daughter-in-law and grandkids share a home. Coryell needs help with bills and getting food on the table, which is why she goes to food pantries about three times a month and is applying for energy assistance so she can keep her lights and heat turned on.
Meanwhile, she and her husband are trying to find work. They check the Internet and newspaper and apply to as many places as possible.
"You have to have the attitude: 'My job right now is to find a job,'" she said.