One subject on which students are rarely shy to express an opinion is school lunches, which the author turns into a teachable moment for U.S. history classes. Historically, school lunches have played an important role in providing nutrition for low-income students. On February 7, 1946, in response to an urgent bulletin sent to all Florida school districts by the state's department of education, Mrs. [Janette] Morton Livingston wrote to Senator Claude Pepper. The December 1945 bulletin expressed concern that the federal government might cease to fund the nation's school lunch program. In her single-page letter, Livingston, president of the Parent Teacher Association of Fort Ogden, Florida, urged the senator to support the program. Her earnest plea was among many letters and telegrams that the senator's office received as Congress held hearings on H.R. 3370, The National School Lunch Act. This article features Mrs. Livingston's letter to Senator Claude Pepper about the school lunch program. Teaching suggestions by the author and Lee Ann Potter which will help teachers familiarize students with the role of the federal government are presented.