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At a time when inflation is rising and every dollar counts, many families are struggling to fund their children's school meals. Though many received free school lunches through the National School Lunch Program during COVID, the U.S. Department of Agriculture last year announced the end of that pandemic-era benefit. Now the balances are piling up.
According to a 2023 survey by the School Nutrition Association, 96.3% of districts in the nation have reported challenges with unpaid meal debt. Of the 847 districts surveyed, 65.4% said it was "a significant challenge." In total, unpaid meal debt exceeded $19 million.
Utah is no exception. Feeding America reports that 1 in 9 Utah children face hunger.
If the thought of your child—or any child —going hungry compels you to take action, here's what you can do about it.
How local businesses can get involved
Luke Peterson and Todd Bradford, owners of the Utah law firm Siegfried and Jensen, made a big impact at a few schools over the past several months. They recently paid the outstanding student lunch debts at two local high schools after they previously covered the deficit at a junior high.
Thanks to their generosity, the 94 students at Kearns High School had their overdrawn lunch accounts covered to the tune of $3,124. They also covered the debt of 84 students at Taylorsville High School for $2,533.
It's a big deal for those students because graduation is delayed for any who have an outstanding lunch balance.
The firm owners said, "We believe Utah is the best state in America to live and work. Unfortunately, there are major flaws in our school lunch programs. Graduating from high school should never be dependent on a student's family being able to pay for school lunch."
Now they are asking other businesses to join them in helping Utah's children.
Stepping up to help
Their initial interest peaked when they learned about some of the needs at Eisenhower Junior High School through sixth-grade teacher Amy Burgon-Hill. After remembering a KSL-TV story about a businessman who'd paid off a school's entire lunch balance, it seemed only fitting to follow suit.
"That resonated with us," Bradford told KSL. "Just felt like that's the right thing to do."
"Now, (those families) are less stressed about paying school lunch bills," Peterson said.
The law firm presented Eisenhower Junior High School with a check for $8,828.34 to pay off the balance from the beginning of the school year. Their donation meant that 214 families suddenly had their lunch balances cleared to zero.
"It's an honor to be witness to this miracle," Burgon-Hill said. "There are no words to say what a difference this will make to our students and their families."
She added that this would also relieve a mental weight for several students.
"The children are the ones that make the decision — do I get lunch today and add to this debt or do I go to class hungry? Nobody should have to make that choice, especially a kid," Burgon-Hill said.
After helping two additional schools, Peterson and Bradford hope other businesses will get involved in the effort.
Many Utah children are going hungry. Here is how you can help
No Kid Hungry Utah reports that as many as 16% of Beehive state children live in homes classified as "food insecure." That means those households don't have enough food for every family member to lead a healthy life.Join the cause
Individuals can help, too. Though school lunches vary slightly from district to district, most elementary and secondary lunches cost between $2 to $2.50. Breakfast costs even less. For the price of one drink at your favorite soda shop, you could ensure that a child had enough energy to take their afternoon math test.
The easiest way to get involved is by calling your local school or school district. Explain that you want to donate money for school lunches and they'll be sure to point you in the right direction.
Siegfried & Jensen
Since 1990, Siegfried & Jensen have been helping the people of Utah and surrounding states who have suffered needless injuries and death caused by car accidents, truck accidents, medical malpractice, defective drugs, dog bites, wrongful death, and other types of personal injury.
The firm is committed to keeping Utah families and communities safe by ensuring wrongdoers are held accountable. While a lawsuit isn't always the answer when it is needed having someone on your side can mean the difference between declaring bankruptcy and rebuilding your life and moving forward, especially when you're up against an insurance company or a hospital.
Siegfried & Jensen has represented more than 35,000 clients and recovered over $1.2 billion for them.
