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Success Stories

A Peanut Butter Victory

It was mealtime at the Berks County Youth Detention Center. Meals were served, and once again the children from India faced a dilemma. As Hindus, they, like many other children held at the center, were vegetarians.

It's not that the children were complaining about the unappetizing nature of the meat offered - though the pizzas being consumed by the staff were more tempting - it's just that their religion forbid the consumption of meat.

The Center offers an alternative for the vegetarian children - a single peanut butter sandwich. This was the alternative every day and at every meal.

Even with the monotony, the children did not complain. They were distressed over the quantity. For teenage boys, one sandwich simply did not suffice

Though not generally perceived as an attorney's duty, the NSC attorney assigned to the Unaccompanied Children's Project took it upon herself to seek a remedy.

Happily, our attorney persuaded the Center to allow detained children to have more than one sandwich so now they can eat to their heart's content. Next, she's tackling dietary diversification - one more effort to make the children in a harsh environment a bit more comfortable.