LANSING, Mich., July 28, 2020 — Last week, State Reps. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) and Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) introduced House Bills 6024 and 6023, respectively, to establish the Feed our Future Fund to accept charitable donations and disperse money to public schools helping them cover unpaid lunch debts.
“Lunch debt is an issue we’re seeing all over the country,” said Shannon. “This debt is occasionally handled by charitable donations to districts; but far more often, it falls to the district to pull the money out of their own budgets. Districts must pay this deficit off each year and are typically left with no choice but to pull money from their general fund and away from the classroom. Because of this, some districts in Michigan are losing tens of thousands of dollars each year – that is money that could be much better spent on our students.”
The fund would be managed by the Department of Education and also establishes a tax credit for those that donate.
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