I’m sharing a link to a Facebook post with a list of nationwide links to help erase school lunch debt in local districts. I’m not cross-posting the full content here because the hope is to create a single thread on FB to share more links and tips. Here are some snippets, in case this movement is new to you!
You may not know that children whose families owe as little as $10 to school food service are left hungry by nearly half of our nation's school districts. Formal policies for students with debt include:
• Taking the child's lunch tray at the register and throwing the meal in the trash
• Taking the lunch, replacing it with cheese and bread, then throwing the full meal in the trash
• Refusing to give any food to the child.
• Making the child do school chores to pay off the family's debt
• Making the child wear a wristband to let everyone know the family is in arrears
• Turning the accounts over to collections rather than contacting the families directly.
In multiple articles, school officials specifically cite their practices as a way to shame the child so the parents will pay.
There are 20 links listed so far, including:
1) Please donate right now to help pay off student lunch debt:
• AZ-Phoenix: https://www.gofundme.com/nolunchmoney
• CA-San Francisco: The district has its own link and check donation info at http://www.sfusdfuturedining.org/donate/
• CO-Littleton: https://www.gofundme.com/eraseschooldebt
• GA-Rossville: https://www.gofundme.com/y5shbu-students-lunch-debt
• KS-Perry: https://www.gofundme.com/school-lunch-relief-program
• MN-St. Paul(1): Philando Feeds the Children (in honor of slain cafeteria supervisor "Mr. Phil" Castile, who used to oay for indebted students' lunches out of his own pocket)
https://www.youcaring.com/stpaulpublicelementarys…/…/general
• NJ-Newark: launched by a student and almost to goal! https://www.gofundme.com/eraselunchdebt-nj
• OR-Portland: https://www.gofundme.com/ChildrensLunchDebt
• WA-Seattle: https://www.gofundme.com/erase-seattle-school-lunch-debt (seriously, I love Jeff Lew!)
• TX-Fort Bend: https://www.gofundme.com/CRLUNCHDEBT
• TX-Richmond: https://www.gofundme.com/erase-lamar-cisd-lunch-debt - this one's closed; they've paid off ALL STUDENT DEBT!
Can you please share this post or the main Facebook one with your friends, groups and organizations? Let’s change the start of the school year—and the remainder of it—for students across the U.S.! Many, many thanks.