This is a tough one.  For sure, 99%+ of the time, it's the parents' fault.  But, how do explain to a 5-year old who goes to kindergarten and sees all his/her friends getting lunch while s/he does not?  You can try to explain that mommy and daddy do not have money to buy you a lunch, but that still doesn't get a lunch to the child.  One way, perhaps, is that if the parents are receiving assistance (EBT card), that some of their amount is automatically taken away and put back into the school or government fund to help offset the cost.  Wish I had a solution but bottom line is that it's the child who suffers no matter who is "at fault."