Anyone live in a area where people can donate to pay for students lunch debt? If so how is it set up?

[prairie_girl]

Seems some Canadian schools offer hot lunch.
https://centennial.cbe.ab.ca/cafeteria-menu

You just can’t help yourself, can you? lol

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Our district is free lunch for all but for reasons I can’t figure out is most of the charter schools don’t participate (my kiddos school being one) yet 75% qualify for free/reduced from the federal program

the website we have to load payment on literally punishes with fees those who can only put a weeks worth ($20- $4 a day) on it vs those who put a months worth on ($4 fee for $80 vs $2 for $20 so $8 for the same $80 a month)

now they limit hot lunch to positive balances (but since it takes 2-4 days for payment to post even on auto top up) it’s a ridiculous amount of unnecessary lunch shaming..

I hate it with a passion but our school also collects funds for the lunch debt on it’s website

 

[Magical2017]

I think we all know college vs lower ed aren't exactly the same there. But it is the same in which the educational facility wants monies that are owed by a student which was the aspect being discussed. Unfortunately if money is owed the norm is to withhold something, what varies.

State laws vary on the age in which you 1) have to send your child to school (my state compulsory starts at age 7 for example 2) at what age you can drop out (with parental permission or emancipation) so must varies on that one. In addition schools don't care if you're 18, money is still owed to them so it's not merely about minors.

Many colleges also have food pantries for those who need them. Where I work, they also collect hygiene products and clothing donations. It doesn't solve everything, but there are resources so students can have their needs met.

 

[Magical2017]

I think this was the sticking point in our district too, but it occurs to me that maybe doing it through a local paper or through a PTA would get people to submit their bills and account numbers so the donor could sed it in? I wouldn't just hand people money as it might not go where you want it to go.

Right. When my kids were in elementary school, you could give the PTA money to cover book fairs and field trips for families needing assistance. I guess that was through the school vs the agency that handles meals? I think it is an outside agency so maybe that is why the rules are different.

Still, it seems ridiculous they could not problem solve a way to let donors pay off debt. Do they want your money or do they want to shame kids? Pick one.

 

[focusondisney]

Yeah, it has been around 60 years since I was in elementary school. Only milk option back then was whole milk. For a nickel. I know sometime after I was out of elementary school whole milk got switched out for 2% in the war on obesity. Looking at the menus now, they only offer 1% milk, or non-fat chocolate milk here.

Must have just been your area. I started elementary school in 1962. I went home for lunch, but we got milk every day for snack time. We definitely had chocolate milk in elementary school. And all the way thru high school graduation in 1975.