GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — New efforts are underway to address the growing concern of school lunch debt around the country.
This comes after a Gastonia church paid more than $13,000 to support students in their area, after families fell behind on payments.
City Church Lead Pastor Dickie Spargo said he and his wife were heartbroken when they read that North Carolina students owed more than $1 million in a news article.
"I called our Gaston County schools and found out our school debt was over $13,000," Spargo said. "One Sunday, took up an offering and told folks about the need and we were able to raise $23,000, which will take care of all the debt."
It's an issue seen around the country, according to Diane Pratt-Heavner with the School Nutrition Association, a national nonprofit supporting school meal providers.
In a recent survey, the SNA found U.S. families owed more than $19 million in student lunch payments.
“It’s really challenging for schools to be able to cover this unpaid meal debt," Pratt-Heavner said. "That’s why we’re urging Congress to provide free meals to all students without an application.”
Part of the problem comes, she said, after pandemic-era protections that allowed students to eat free ended with many families now needing to qualify to access free and reduced lunch.
“Unfortunately, there are a lot of families out there who aren’t quite income eligible for meal benefits," Pratt-Heavner said, "but they’re still struggling to feed their family.”
In a statement to WCNC Charlotte, Angela Calamia, director of school nutrition for Gaston County Schools, said, in part, that the district is thankful for the donation from City Church.
"The funds will be used to address our current debt and any additional debt that is incurred between now and the end of the school year," Calamia said in a statement. "Whenever a student reaches the limit on charging meals, the schools do a good job of notifying parents and working with parents. We do provide an alternate meal plan whenever a student cannot pay to ensure that no student goes hungry; however, our schools do a good job of working with families to ensure that students can enjoy meals even when there are financial hardships."
Spargo said he hopes to see the state government take up the issue.
“It’s the right thing to do," Spargo said. "...make sure every kid in North Carolina has a hot meal when they go to school.”
In March, North Carolina House lawmakers filed a bill to reduce school lunch debt statewide.
If passed, it would use over $3 million from the general fund to pay off owed payments.
While not a sponsor of that bill, Republican State Senator Vickie Sawyer tells WCNC Charlotte she would support the federal government should it decide to provide lunch for all students.
Meanwhile, on the congressional level, Democrat Jeff Jackson, who represents the Charlotte area, said he'd be open to supporting a permanent change, allowing free school lunch.
Those behind on student lunch payments that haven't applied for free or reduced lunch should contact their student's school to learn more about qualifications.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.