Garden Valley schools seek funds to pay for student meals after federal program ended

Less than a year after a federal program offering free meals ended, at least one Idaho school district is seeking the public’s help to feed its students.

The Garden Valley School District shared a letter on Facebook from Superintendent Randy Thompson in which he asked the town’s residents for donations to fund student meals.

“The reality and facts are that we have a certain number of kids that routinely skip meals because of a lack of funds to pay for a meal, and frankly, regardless of why this is, it breaks my heart,” Thompson said in the letter.

Thompson said students used to get free meals as part of a federal program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, but those meal waivers expired at the beginning of this school year.

Unless a student’s family qualifies for “free or reduced-cost meals,” families are now expected to pay full price for school meals.

“Unfortunately, under federal law, we, as a school district, are not allowed to use funds from other sources to pay for student meals,” Thompson wrote. “We can only help students pay for meals through the federal government’s free and reduced programs (which require qualification as I mentioned) or through private donations.”

Garden Valley district creates ‘Help our Kids’ fund

In a phone interview with the Statesman, Thompson described the district as a small, rural community. The district has one school building and teaches 289 students between grades K-12.

In recent months, Thompson said 23 to 26 students have been regularly skipping meals due to a lack of funds.

He and the school’s nutrition director, Debbie Updike, have worked closely to lead the district’s efforts to gather donations. After estimating a monthly cost of $750 to feed students in need, the two set up the “Help Our Kids” fund. All donations will go toward covering meals, he said.

“For a small, rural district, funding is a real challenge,” Thompson told the Statesman. “Tax dollars can be spent on so many different things, many of them very worthy … but in my mind, if we can educate and feed our young people on a daily basis, that’s where the money should go.”

Thompson said the district will accept any donations mailed to Garden Valley Schools, Attn: Help Our Kids, P.O. Box 710, Garden Valley, ID 83622. Donations can also be made at the school district’s offices.

The school district is still working on setting up an electronic means for donations, he said.