Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Meals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Food services director: meal debt down to about $13,300; federal rules limit donating leftovers
Summary
Kendall Harris told the board meal debt has fallen from about $17,000 in January to roughly $13,300 and credited the Community Eligibility Provision for higher participation; she said leftover meals generally cannot be redistributed because that could be considered "gifting of federal funds."
Kendall Harris, the district’s food services director, told the Cascade School District board the district’s outstanding meal debt has fallen from about $17,000 in January to roughly $13,300, a trend she attributed to principals’ outreach and the district’s first year of Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) free meals.
“in January 1, our meal debt was 17,000, and it is now today 13,300,” Harris said, thanking staff and principals for their efforts. She said the CEP expansion helped increase meal participation among junior- and senior-high students.
Harris also addressed what happens to unserved meals at the end of a service day, explaining that some items can be cooled and reserved when food‑safety rules allow, but other items cannot be redistributed. “I cannot gift them or give them away for free because it would be considered gifting of federal funds,” she said, noting staff are constrained by federal program rules.
Board members asked whether the reduced debt came mainly from graduating students clearing old balances; Harris said the remaining balances are legacy items and that the debt has been trending down as students graduate or families pay past balances. Harris said the department plans to study food waste tonnage next year to better quantify pounds of waste and potential mitigation.
The report did not propose a policy change; it described operational constraints under existing federal rules and local efforts to reduce outstanding balances.
