Georgia woman's nonprofit pays hundreds of thousands in school lunch debt

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - A Forsyth County nonprofit gave more than a hundred-thousand dollars to metro Atlanta schools, so families would not go into the holiday season with outstanding school lunch debt. The woman behind the organization says this is just the beginning.

Alessandra Ferrera-Miller says not having sufficient lunch money should not be a problem for families. She, like many, has heard the stories of students not getting their hot lunches or having their lunches taken away because their parents could not pay.

In 2018, Ferrera-Miller started paying off area school lunch debt. She first started with four schools, $500 at a time, and thought she had accomplished so much.

This month, her nonprofit "All for Lunch" just paid $130,000 to eliminate lunch debts in several metro areas such as Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, Forsyth and Barrow counties.

According to the Food Resource and Action Center, a school lunch reduces food insecurity, improves children's dietary intake, and positively impacts their health.

Ferrera- Miller says she wants to ensure the help she provides lasts, and is not just a onetime payment because a paid-off balance today could change by next semester.

For more information visit allforlunch.org.