A fifth grader’s fundraiser cleared his school of meal debt. It named an award for him
Associated PressAs the school year drew to a close, Daken Kramer worried about children who owed money for meals at his school. Daken, 11, posted a video last month challenging friends, family, and even strangers and businesses to pay off the meal debt at Thomas Ultican Elementary School in Blue Springs, a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. Nationally, the School Nutrition Association’s 2024 survey of member school districts found that the median district meal debt as of November was $5,495, up from $5,164 a year earlier. “There were a lot of times that even as a high schooler, I was getting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” Daken’s video was posted April 12 on his mom’s Facebook page. “It definitely made me feel special.” Eight states — California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont — make school meals free to all students regardless of income, even after the pandemic.
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Next stress for many parents: First school lunch bills since 2020
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Marcus Rashford slams school for saying pupils in debt won’t be fed at lunch
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