("CCC Men Eating" lib.uidaho.edu)
New enrollees were hungry and undernourished. To enroll, a young man had to weigh at least 107lbs. One fourth who applied could not.
"Sixty percent of CCC enrollees were below the standard weight for their age and height. It was found that 25 percent of the recruits were so undernourished that the weight qualification for enlistment had to be lowered. By the end of their second month in camp, however, most corpsmen had reached their recommended weight. The average weight gain per enrollee was over 11 pounds." (Semo 6)
FDR knew young men needed lots of good, healthy food. The CCC would feed enrollees three solid meals a day.
"In June 1937 alone, CCC camps in Sparta district went through approximately 88,000 pounds of fresh beef, 8,800 pounds of fresh bread, 100,000 pints of fresh milk, 175,000 pounds of potatoes, and 18,000 pounds of butter." (Apps 33)
("A typical day's food, the volume consumed and the cost, is shown on this menu for a Saturday in late June 1939" Semo 7)
(Maher 101)
"Good breakfasts, with eggs and bacon and sausage, and they had pancakes and waffles, you know, juice of all kinds. Plenty of everything. You could eat all you want." (Vincent Ximenes qtd. in Charles Rivers 15)
("CCC Boys Rotated Kitchen Duty" money.howstuffworks.com)
("Single Unemployed Men Who Passed the Physical Exam to Become Part of the
Civilian Conservation Corps Have Their First Mess" politico.com)
("CCC Camp Mess Line" oregondigital.org)