National Food Group, a leading food distributor for K-12 schools, is addressing a pressing issue affecting schools and students nationwide – unpaid school meal debt. As part of its 2025 Grab The Tab initiative, the company awarded three schools over $100,000 in total funding and in-kind food donations.
Applications were received from 43 states this year, underscoring schools' ongoing financial struggles in managing unpaid meal debt. After a thorough review, three schools were selected based on financial need and their commitment to providing healthy meals to students:
- School District U-46 in Elgin, Illinois
- Columbia Elementary in West Jordan, Utah
- Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida
- Tinker K-8, Randall Middle School, Newsome High School
“The passion and heart towards this issue shone through in every single application we received,” shared Samantha Bourque, Corporate Social Responsibility Director for National Food Group. “Cafeterias are the heartbeat of our schools as they provide the necessary nutrition and fuel for our students to get through the day and be the best they can be. The increase in applications and debt we saw this year is telling that school meal debt continues to affect all communities, regardless of geographic or demographic makeup. We are honored and thrilled to again 'Grab The Tab’ for these communities.”
For the 2024-25 school year, only nine states offer programs making school breakfast and lunches universally free. In addition, financial pressures have increased with higher food costs, procurement challenges, staffing shortages, and the end of pandemic-era financial assistance.
Challenges Facing Schools
President Shannon Gleave, RDN, SNS, of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), believes much of the debt is due to old and new challenges, including:
- Increasing food costs
- Staff shortages
- Menu item shortages
- Discontinued menu items
- Lack of items meeting nutrition needs
- Packaging shortages
- Lack of competitive bids
- Shortage of new equipment
- Longer than normal lead times
- Challenges getting families to submit free and reduced meal applications and household income forms
Grab The Tab is a program of Project SERVE, National Food Group’s corporate social responsibility platform initiative. To learn more and hear from individual schools about how this program impacts them, visit zzgrabthetab.com.
About Project SERVE
Project SERVE is National Food Group’s corporate social responsibility initiative. The company pledges a minimum of 5% of its earnings and the team’s time and talents to help make food more accessible.
About National Food GroupFounded in 1990, National Food Group is one of America's fastest-growing wholesale foodservice manufacturers and distributors.
Program Contact
Samantha Bourque
Corporate Social Responsibility Director
Phone: 248-560-2398
Email: sbourque@nationalfoodgroup.com
