Pfood Pfairness in Pflugerville Schools

Our goal is to identify children in need and fund their accounts, fighting food insecurity and inequity in the district. No child should have to choose between hunger and humiliation, but that is often the case through no fault of their own.
With the income thresholds to qualify for any help being based on the national poverty line, with no accounting for cost of living and/or family dynamics, there is a growing ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) population that does not qualify for free/reduced lunch. Pfood Pfairness is not only actively spreading awareness about the federal policy and the resulting inequities, we are also offering our help.
Funding student accounts directly not only means that children will be spared the stigma of the alternative lunch, it also gives all children equal access to hot, nutritious meals, no matter the families' financial status. Countless studies that tie lack of nutrition and food insecurity to low academic performance and behavioral problems prove the importance of this access, especially during the formative elementary years.
Because federal law dictates all money owed to the food service provider must be paid in full by the end of the academic year, our program has the added benefit of ensuring the lunch accounts never reach the level of debt seen in April of 2023 ($180,000+). Proactively funding student accounts prevents them from reaching negative balances that will save the school district tens of thousands of dollars and/or prevent the need to redirect funds meant for teacher resources and/or programs meant to enhance the education of all students.

Pfood Pfairness in Pflugerville Schools is actively campaigning for donations in the community and applying for community grants with local businesses. Fundraising events are always being planned, and we have met with networking groups and media outlets to help spread the word.
We work closely with the district families, individual campuses, school district administration, and the food service provider to monitor student account balances and provide funds when and where necessary, without violating the students' rights to privacy. Pfood Pfairness also partners with other local nonprofits fighting food insecurity to inform families in need on how we can provide assistance.

Pfood Pfairness in Pflugerville Schools has gained tax exempt status from the IRS and have established a relationship with local businesses. In August 2023, Pfood Pfairness in Pflugerville Schools was able to provide the district with a check for $12,182, paying off lunch debt for all families who qualified for free or reduced lunch during the 2022-23 school year, thus preventing those families from being sent to collections.
Since then, we have focused on the current 2023-24 school year. As of December 31, Pfood Pfairness had covered $850 in lunch debt and ensured access to over 3,100 hot lunches for students in need--numbers we more than tripled in the first two months of 2024.