School Lunch Debt Donation

Owners of Southland Books, Lisa Misosky and Catherine Frye, along with a group of friends, have raised funds to donate money toward paying off school lunch debts at Rockford and Walland Elementary Schools.

Misosky said she and Frye perform an act of service every other month and after the lunch debt issue was brought to their attention, they knew who they wanted their next beneficiary to be.

Misosky, a 7th generation Blount County resident, is no stranger to free and reduced lunch programs.

Growing up, Misosky remembers being in school when teachers would ask who needed to take a card for free lunches. For students who came from lower-income households, it could be embarrassing to have to take a card in front of their peers, Misosky said.

Through community fundraising, they were able to donate $1,100 to Rockford Elementary and over $500 to Walland Elementary.

Rockford Elementary principal Chad Tipton said the donation will have a “tremendous impact on the kids.”

When school lunch debt occurs, it is absorbed by the district, which takes away from other areas where that money could be spent.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in Tennessee received funding for free and reduced lunch programs for all students but that program has ended, leaving some families struggling.

Many children need additional support in order to have breakfast and lunch, Tipton explained.

For some students, these may be the only hot meals of the day they will receive, he said.

The bottom line, he explained, is that regardless of status, the children will not go without meals.

According to the Blount County Schools website, the cost of breakfast for an elementary student is $1.50 and the cost for lunch is $2.50.

Tipton said they try to meet the needs of the school’s families, whether it’s food or other necessities the family may lack.

“We are a community and we take care of each other,” Tipton said.

“If you can take a little bit of pressure off a lot of these parents, I have to think that has just got to be one of the best things you can do,” Misosky said.

While Misosky said the donations are a drop in the bucket of a larger problem, she credits the Blount County community with its care and generosity and plans to donate again in the future.

Misosky said raising awareness to an ongoing issue is half the battle.

“I’m grateful that we have the support and the community to be able to do what we did,” Misosky said