No More School Lunch Debt
Join us to eliminate student lunch debt and support our MO kids and schools!
“No child should go hungry—or be left behind—because of unpaid school lunch fees. In Missouri, families owe a staggering $138 million in lunch debt.
IMPACT ON LEARNING:
When students are hungry, they can't concentrate. Food insecurity leads to behavioral challenges, poorer health, and diminished academic performance.
It is estimated that there are 248,600 kids in Missouri who are food insecure.
THE HIDDEN EPIDEMIC OF SCHOOL LUNCH DEBT:
Debt per school district averages between $1.6 and $12 million dollars.
Districts cannot use federal nutrition funds for school lunch debt and often don't have reserve funds to pay the costs. This debt is a burden to already financially strapped schools.
Based on the national average school meal debt per child is $556 annually.
LUNCH SHAMING:
Missouri has legislation that kids can't be shamed due to school lunch debt--but, that often isn't the reality.
Older students in middle school or high school can be prevented from participating in activities if they have unpaid fines or debts.
Kids have enough to worry about--being embarrassed about their family's inability to pay for lunch shouldn't be one of them.
No MO School Lunch Debt!
As we work to establish the non-profit foundation, we have created a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds specifically for addressing student lunch debt. All donations will directly contribute to alleviating this student lunch debt.