The Galion School District is thrilled to announce that it has recently received an anonymous donation to help offset its growing lunch fund debt. The donation generously paid off the lunch debt for the entire Galion Intermediate School.
This kind and thoughtful gesture of support comes at an especially fortunate time for the district, which has seen a significant increase in food service debt due to the increased number of students lacking the funds to pay for their lunches.
There are two main sources of revenue for the Food Service Department, which does not receive any support from the District General Fund and is a stand-alone entity. The first source is the payments parents make each week on their student’s lunch accounts. The second source of revenue is the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Last year the District received over $1.1 million in revenues from the NSLP. This year they estimate the revenues from the NSLP to be $718,000. With the high cost of food items and the decrease in funds received from the NSLP, the district has seen a significant increase in lunch debt In the 2022-2023 school year.
“Providing a hot meal for students without lunch money is very important to us as a district,” shared Superintendent Jennifer Allerding. “Beyond eliminating the shame and attention of forgotten lunch money or lack thereof, for some, this may be the most nutritious meal they receive each day. We are beyond grateful for our community’s generosity and commitment to our students and district.”
Due to the significant increase in free lunches provided at no cost as compared to years past, the Galion Elementary PTO launched Lunchbox Heroes to assist the district in covering the cost of meals for those students without the funds to pay for them.
Those interested in donating should contact the Galion Elementary PTO via email at galionelementarypto@gmail.com. Donations may also be made directly through PayPal and including the note “Lunchbox Hero.”Additionally, donations may be dropped off at any school building.