[Ruttiger]

So our 6 year old has a classmate that, it seems pretty obviously, comes from a lousy/underprivileged home. Early in the winter he would consistently come to school with no mitts, toque, decent winter coat, etc. My wife, being the softy she is, went out and bought some items for him when it was obvious he didn't own these things (wasn't just a one off). She gave them to the teacher, who checked with the mother, who swore he already had these items/would be getting them soon. Eventually the stuff my wife bought found their way to the kid but he hasn't been wearing them for awhile now again. Maybe he just loses them and the Mom was teaching him a lesson - I dunno.

Then today my wife was volunteering at the school's pizza lunch and saw this same kid just sitting, not eating, staring blankly off into the distance. She mentioned this to the teacher and when they looked at his backpack and pulled out his lunch bag, it was full of moldy, rotten food. It's Wednesday - that didn't just happen overnight. How long has he not had a lunch?

My wife called me in tears feeling awful about what this poor kid has to deal with and wondering how we can help. She wants to go buy some items and donate them for the teacher to give to this kid when it's apparent he doesn't have any food. Teacher says she's not allowed to give the student food but admittedly I don't know how that works.

So what is a concerned bystander to do in this situation? And what programs are in place to help?