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:
“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.
President Shannon Gleave, RDN, SNS, of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), believes much of the debt is due to old and new challenges, including:
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.
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.
Samantha Bourque
Corporate Social Responsibility Director
Phone: 248-560-2398
Email: sbourque@nationalfoodgroup.com