Fort Mill’s Ol’ School Crowd raising money to pay student lunch debt

Some Fort Mill High School graduates have set out to help take a burden off local families.

The Ol’ School Crowd, a group of Fort Mill High School graduates from the class of 1974 and others, are raising money to help pay students’ negative lunch balances, said Jean Deese, a member of the group.

The group has funded multiple community projects for Fort Mill schools, such as “Buddy Benches” for elementary schools, Deese said. She said she wanted to help after hearing of students who don’t get to eat lunch.

“I can’t stand the thought of a child going hungry,” Deese said. “It’s not their fault.”

The group is donating the money to Fort Mill school district’s Angel Fund.

Each school in Fort Mill has an Angel Fund, in which citizens donate money to the school to help pay students’ negative lunch balances, said Joe Burke, the district’s chief communications officer. The program was established four years ago.

Donations have covered much of, but not all, student lunch debt, Burke said. He said the Student Nutrition Department allocates the donations equally across accounts with negative balances.

The exact amount donated to date is unknown, Burke said.

The Fort Mill school district allows students to charge up to $15 before they are served a substitute meal, according to district policy. Elementary student lunches cost $2.25.

“It is important to note that the Fort Mill school district has always been flexible with negative balances of students,” Burke said. “We always offer a meal to the student if they have a high negative balance.”

Alternate meals vary for each district but typically consist of a sandwich, fresh or cup fruit and milk. All substitute meals meet nutrition guidelines.

Fort Mill students are charged $1 for an alternate breakfast and $2 for an alternate lunch, according to the meal policy.

School officials communicate to parents when their child’s account goes low, Burke said.

Fort Mill’s student meal policy states: “In order to safeguard the dignity and confidentiality of students, reasonable efforts must be used to avoid calling attention to the student’s unpaid balances and/or inability to pay.”

The Ol’ School Crowd has already paid off one student’s account through donations, Deese said. She said the group will continue collecting donations for the foreseeable future. The effort is open to anyone who wants to help.

“It’s something the Lord laid on my heart,” Deese said. “I feel like a child can’t learn if they are hungry.”

This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Fort Mill’s Ol’ School Crowd raising money to pay student lunch debt."