Food‑service director proposes 'Feed It Forward' feature to reduce student meal debt

LONDONDERRY, N.H. — At the Londonderry School Board meeting on Aug. 5 the district’s food‑service presenter described a built‑in option in the district’s payment software called “Feed It Forward” that would allow parents to donate positive meal‑account balances to cover outstanding negative balances.

The presenter said the district was still actively collecting negative meal debt and that, as of the meeting, the district’s negative balance totaled $54,214.82. Staff said current collection actions include weekly emailed balance notices, postal letters, monthly phone calls and negotiated repayment plans.

How the feature would work Feed It Forward is a configurable function of the district’s Link payment system. Once enabled, parents and guardians would see an opt‑in option under the meal account view to donate funds to their school’s Feed It Forward pool. The district can also elect to reallocate funds left on accounts of families who have left the district and did not request refunds; the presenter said those transfers would be logged and documented in the software.

The presenter said the function is optional for families and would not automatically transfer funds; any movement of Feed It Forward monies would be controlled through back‑office tools and documented for district records.

Questions from the board Board members asked how refunds for graduating seniors work and how long unclaimed balances sit on accounts. The presenter said families must request refunds and that small refunds (under $20) are handled directly at the food‑service office while larger amounts are routed through the district office for a check. She said currently some positive balances for former students do remain on accounts until the families request them; the presenter asked the board to permit using unclaimed balances for the Feed It Forward pool as part of the district’s administrative process to reduce negative debt.

Next steps Board members did not take a formal vote at the meeting. The presenter said enabling Feed It Forward in the district’s Link software is an administrative action and would allow the district to start accepting voluntary donations from families and to move unclaimed balances to pay down meal debt at year end. The district’s business office and food‑service staff will confirm the procedural steps and reporting for the back office prior to activation.