A child’s first week of school should be for figuring out where the classes are, what activities to sign up for, and who to sit next to in the cafeteria. Not for how you’re going to repay lunch debt. At least that’s the way The Butcher Shoppe owner Kevin Green sees it.
When about 200 Escambia County Public School students were already finishing their first week of the 2025-26 school year with an “outstanding cafeteria balance,” Green decided it was time for the community to step up and wipe the students’ slate clean. Green took it upon himself to pay off the entire debt for families in the Escambia County Public Schools district.
“The $834 donation impacted about 200 students, and brought their balance back down to zero,” Jaleena Davis, ECPS director of food services, told the News Journal. “It also takes a burden off the school … It’s a relief for everyone, not just the students and families, but also the school staff who are on the front lines every day.”
When Green first began seeing stories on social media about students at Thomas L. Sims Middle School in Pace starting the school year with outstanding debt, he picked up the phone to figure out how to help. He discovered that it had already been taken care of by another donor, and donors all over Santa Rosa County had begun inquiring about their local schools’ debt and quickly paid it off in a ripple effect, he said.
“It broke my heart that kids would be singled out,” Green said. “Somebody’s gotta pay the debt, I understand that, but the middle school child surely isn’t responsible for that debt … if there’s one less child that worries that when they go up to get their lunch if it’s going to be a good experience or a bad experience, that was really a motivator for me.”
While Green is a Santa Rosa County resident himself, the wheels in his brain started turning about all the Escambia County Public Schools families that walk through the doors of his Pensacola business, The Butcher Shoppe, every day. He began thinking bigger than just one school, but the potential needs of students district wide.
“Obviously, I just think as a person, I have a responsibility – if I see something like that with kids happen – to get involved,” Green said.
While in Escambia County Public Schools, cafeteria debts do not roll over into the next school year, Davis stated that nearly $1,000 in lunch debt had accrued just from Monday through Thursday of the very first week of school. However, from the Food Services perspective, this isn’t all that surprising.
According to Davis, 76% of students within the district already receive free or reduced lunch, but there is often some confusion at the start of the year among families enrolled in free/reduced lunch programs who have not reapplied or even realized they needed to. Most of the Escambia County Public Schools are part of the Community Eligibility Program, she said, which offers free breakfast and lunch without requiring families to individually apply. However, not all schools offer the program, and it’s possible that a switch in schools could also change that student’s free lunch status.
“It’s a combination of things,” Davis said of how the lunch debt forms. “Some people don’t realize that they need to fill out an application, or maybe their child was previously at a school that was free and now they’re at a full-pay school. Working through some of those logistics the first few days causes the negative balance to accrue.”
Many families also fall through the cracks, not meeting the requirements for free lunch, yet still struggling to make ends meet, she continued.
“The guidelines don’t take into account your bills, it’s strictly income,” Davis said. “So, there are a lot of people that miss the mark but still can’t afford breakfast and lunch for their students. So this (donation) helps fill in the gap for those families.’
While Green is aware of the impact an erased debt can have on a family, he thinks many other community members wouldn’t hesitate to do the same if made aware of the need.
“I would say that if the school board needed the business community to help with that, there would be 100 people like me that would step up and say, ‘I want to do my part,’” Green said. “Pensacola’s been very, very good to us. We need to continue to find ways to give back. I’d say 98% of every dollar we give back is for youth, so it’s very near and dear to me.
“Kids are the most important thing that we have as a country because they’re our future,” Green continued. “The stronger our youth is, the stronger our community is. The stronger our community is, the stronger the businesses are. The stronger the businesses are, the stronger they give back to the community. It just feeds itself, but I think it begins and ends with the youth.”
Davis said they rely on donors throughout the school year, and those interested in donating can contact their local school or reach out to Davis by email at JDavis11@ecsdfl.us.
“We are very fortunate here in Escambia County, and the community rallies around us often. … It’s just a reminder that there are good people out there and there are people that want to help, and make a difference and that care about children,” Davis said.
She also encourages families who think they may qualify for free or reduced lunch to fill out an application using myschoolapps.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: 200 Escambia students went into food debt the first week. Then, something amazing happened
Reporting by Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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