What a tale of privilege and woe was woven by Gary Marvin Davison in the "Tale of Two Girards" (April 30).

As a white person, I could not identify anything familiar in the story of the Girard Avenue S. family. Even though our family of four resided on Harriet Avenue S., about 10 blocks from Girard S., we lived in a modest house with two small bedrooms and one small bath at our disposal.

Our kids "trudged" to the corner to catch the public school bus just like Davison's north Minneapolis youngsters. I had a blue-collar job and was at work about the time the kids were getting up for school. My wife scurried to get the kids ready for school. No pancake and bacon breakfasts — cereal and toast was the bill of fare and brown bag lunches were packed. And then my wife hustled out the door to her clerical job.

And so it went until graduation from high school. I suspect that's the way most families get by. And I don't begrudge "Mama Doctor and Daddy Professor" for their lifestyle — they put in the work and had the talent to get there.

What disturbs me about the "Tale" is the absolute dismal picture painted of Girard Avenue N. With all the resources provided today, I have a hard time buying this narrative, starting with the girl waking up in a "cold cubicle." All who are challenged to pay for heat have access to heating assistance — there's no reason to be cold. The girl has to suffer a "rumbling" stomach until she gets to school, where she is provided with a free breakfast. All students in the Minneapolis schools are provided not only with free breakfast but also free lunch (hot or cold). No reason to go hungry.

To add to the tale of woe, the public school teachers are painted as either incompetent or checked out and just going through the motions. Really? There are so many resources at the disposal of all Minneapolis Public Schools including guidance counselors, social workers, after school assistance, etc.

The "Tale" ends with the Girard Avenue N. girl "enduring a pregnancy, incurred out of ever-present boredom, options never offered." I wish she would have taken advantage of the Minneapolis Community Education programs available after school, summer sessions, youth development, and student engagement, all offered at various North, South, East, and West side locations, with free breakfast and lunch and transportation provided. Some class samplings are theater, leadership, art, music, sports, and hip-hop dance.

The Minneapolis Park Board offers summer programs for kids and provides lunches as well. There are alternatives to boredom and pregnancy readily available to all children in Minneapolis, both North and South on Girard.

Very few of us — white, black, yellow, or brown — are fortunate enough to live the lifestyle imagined by Davison on Girard Avenue S. But there are resources and opportunities to take advantage of, readily available to us all that certainly make life more comfortable.

Jake Werner lives in Minneapolis.