Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, Mineral Point students with negative lunch balances have the opportunity to end the school year in the black.
In order to achieve this goal, the donor will match up to $750 of additional monies generated by the community to support this effort by Friday, May 19.
Children of qualifying families that receive free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch struggle to pay even reduced prices. Some families who would qualify for free or reduced prices fail to fill out the necessary paperwork. They may be unaware of the program, reluctant to share personal information, or they may be ashamed to ask for help.
Additionally, some of the IOUs come from kids who simply forget their lunch money, or parents who can afford to pay, but neglect to keep prepaid accounts up to date.
The Mineral Point School District does attempt to collect on delinquent accounts by using phone calls and written correspondence. Students at Mineral Point who are running a negative lunch balance are still allowed to eat.
According to a 2016 survey of 1,000 school meal program operators by the School Nutrition Association, about three-quarters of districts had unpaid student meal debt at the end of the last school year, an increase from just under 71 percent in 2014.
Pointer Pantry helps assist students’ families with funds for meals when school is not in session. This effort will only serve to complement the Pointer Pantry.
Donations may be sent or dropped off at:
Mineral Point School District
Attn: Lunch Match Grant
705 Ross Street
Mineral Point, WI 53565