HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM?

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In the Illinois 2021 school year, it was estimated that 90,000 youth were food insecure and did not qualify for assistance.

Statewide, the average debt of those 90,000 youth is $171 per child.

As a result, school districts can accumulate large debts.

For example, the total lunch debt in BESD 53 exceeds $30,000.

More information about the problem of school lunch debt is available here.

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DO THE KIDS GO HUNGRY IF THE DEBT ISN'T PAID?

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Schools are required to provide lunch to students regardless of debt (which is a good thing!).

However, individual schools often end up footing the bill, which takes away from funds used to serve their primary function of educating kids. In short, the funds have to come from somewhere.

Let's Ketchup aims to play a small part in alleviating the financial burden of families and schools, which ultimately benefits the students.

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WHAT ABOUT FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH PROGRAMS?

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Free lunch is available to families who make less than $36,075 a year and reduced-cost lunch is available to those who make less than $51,338 (based on a family of four). However, many families making more than $51,338 still have difficulty making ends meet, and these are the families whose debt we tackle first.

We work with the school district to target specific debt to ensure the families with the highest need receive assistance first.

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HOW DO I DONATE BY CHECK?

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Thanks for your interest in donating! You can mail a check to:

Let's Ketchup
1292 Hartley Ave.
Bourbonnais, IL 60914

Please make the check payable to Let's Ketchup.

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HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?

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The easiest way to get involved is to donate. Following and sharing our content on social media is also a big help.

If you're looking for other ways to assist, we'd love to hear from you!

Reach out to us at team@letsketchup.org.

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If you're a business owner and you'd like to discuss a potential donation or partnership, please take a minute to complete our business partnership form.