Rotary Club clears student lunch debt at GISD

The Rotary Club of Graham donated $1,390 Tuesday to support students in Graham ISD who had standing lunch debt within the district.

Jodie Arispe, Food Service Director for GISD, spoke at the meeting and said this donation will make a difference within the district.

“It will today impact 137 students,” Arispe said. “Prior to this, just out of the blue, I had two families come forward and both gave $500 checks to pay lunch charges. So, I don’t have as many as we did just two weeks ago, but with four months still of school they will be back up there I am sure.”

The club gave the money as a community service project to GISD, Rotary Club President Matt Hughes said in the meeting Tuesday. He added the donation will provide relief for students and parents who might stress over a standing debt with the district.

“I have a customer who works in the kitchen at one of the schools and I know she doesn’t make a whole lot of money, and she brings 20 bucks every week to give to kids that can’t get meals,” Hughes said. “So, I know this money is going into a good place. I know my kids take it for granted that they have a lunch every day, but that’s not the case for a lot of kids and so this is going to provide a lot of kids some relief, a lot of parents some relief and make sure the kids get fed at lunch.”

Arispe said she will put the excess money from the club’s donation into an account which she will pull from as more debt charges accrue from students in the district. She said the district is not allowed to have student lunch debt carry over into the next school year, and must be taken care of by the district at the end of the year.

“We have approximately 2,360 students enrolled, with 1,201 being free on their accounts and 193 are reduced,” she said. “That leaves 966 paid students that don’t either have the money, they didn’t fill out the meal application, they don’t qualify (and) so those charges do rack up.”

She also emphasized that some of her staff attempt to help students who get overages on their lunch bills.

“Several of my own cafeteria staff ladies (who) don’t really make that much hourly wages, have pulled out of their own pockets to pay for children’s lunches,” she said. “We do have a policy in place that they get a free peanut butter and jelly (sandwich), milk and fruit that we don’t charge them for after they get three charges. But, that is really hard to take that tray of hamburger and french fries away from a child, especially a small child.”

For more information on GISD food services, visit grahamisd.com/139976_2, or contact Arispe at 940-549-4011 ext. 1030, or by email at jodi.arispe@grahamisd.com.

For the full story, see the Saturday, Feb. 1 edition of The Graham Leader.