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For the price of $3,958.76, we were able to pay off 100% the school lunch deficit for Saraland City Schools in May of 2025. We are asking the community to join us in meeting this need for next year.

In districts such as Saraland that do not qualify for government funding, public school students who come to school without food are fed by the school cafeteria. Parents are then billed for those meals. Bills that don't get paid lead to a school deficit that negatively impacts the school (and thus the kid's school experience). 

When a student comes through the cafeteria line, they have to checkout at a Point-of-Sale system. The Point-of-Sale marks students whose bills are not paid as "in the red." In other school districts, cafeteria workers are instructed to take any hot food out of these children's hands (in front of their classmates) and offer them an alternative meal, such as a cold cheese sandwich, instead. To be very clear: Saraland City Schools does not engage in this practice because they want to avoid shaming children. They choose to eat that deficit. However, the students do still become aware of their family's debt. Students in the red are not allowed to have seconds, whereas other children are. When special treats are offered, such as Gatorade, students in the red are denied them. The school is left to deal with the reality of limited funding, and they can only do the best they can. Meanwhile, the kids feel singled out in front of their friends. They're embarrassed. We've heard from some former students (now adults) who have said that they have never forgotten that feeling.

We are committed to making sure that no child in our community has to experience the shame or anxiety of food insecurity. We may not be able to cover 100% of the deficit every year, but we will try. Perhaps you can help us. You can always donate directly by mailing checks to Saraland City Schools at 4010 Lil Spartan Dr in Saraland, AL 36571. It's very important that you include a letter indicating the reason for your donation. You must say "I am donating this money to go towards food for the cafeteria. It can be applied to the school lunch deficit." If you do not state the reason clearly, your donation may not be able to be accepted. You can also donate through us. We have donation jars located near our cash register, and 100% of all donations will be given directly to Saraland City Schools.

This is not a controversial issue. It's about hungry children. Don't let cynics point fingers at the school or the parents  (some of whom don't exist). It doesn't matter why the bills aren't paid. What matters is that children are hungry. Some of them grow up in circumstances that are very unfortunate and/or unfair. That's all we need to know. We feed them. When we see hungry children, we feed them (and we try not to make them feel bad about it). There's no viable alternative.

We believe that the state of Alabama should pass a bill for universal school lunch funding as other states have done. Again, feeding hungry kids in our community is not a partisan issue. Please reach out to your leaders to express your support for this cause.

Some politicians say, "You can't talk about this. Next year, bad people will take advantage and skip paying their bills, expecting you to cover it." We could not disagree more. The only way to solve a problem is to fix it. The vast majority of school lunch debt occurs in families whose income level is just above the threshold to qualify for food stamps. These are real people, who we see everyday, that have a genuine need. We have to have faith. Parents that can afford to feed their children are not out to exploit their community. If there are some parents who struggle to feed their children, then we should encourage those families to let their government (or their community if we must) lend a hand. School lunch debt should not exist in the first place, and local children shouldn't have to suffer for it. That is what we need to focus on.