Filling the gaps: Nonprofit pays off school's bad lunch debt
Front row, from left, Dustin Zuffelato, Tammi Fisher, Gap Fillers Flathead Founder, Tucker Pau, Gap Fillers Flathead Student Ambassador, Mickey Lapp, Gap Fillers Flathead Board Member,Cory Dziowgo; back row, board members Justin Cheff, Jill Rocksund, Barb Riley, Keri Hill, Amanda Pacheco, Megan Upton. (Photo provided)
Hungry Horse News
A Flathead Valley nonprofit earlier this month gave the Columbia Falls School District 6 a boost, paying the remaining balance of a $55,000 student lunch debt.
The $9,971.93 donation by Gap Fillers Flathead wiped out the debt.
Gap Fillers has helped students and school districts across the valley erase their school lunch debt, as the debt can impact their ability to actually receive school transcripts in some districts.
School Superintendent Cory Dziowgo reached out to the organization shortly after he started working in Columbia Falls. The school lunch program has consistently ran a deficit for years, up until recently.
Now the school is participating in a state and federally funded program called the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows any student a free lunch and breakfast while attending school. That program runs through 2028. It is not funded through local tax dollars, Dziowgo notes.
The program serves low income communities like Columbia Falls.
The Gap Filler donation allowed the school to clear off its old debt.
In addition, Gap Fillers provides school districts personal and feminine hygiene products, as well as AED defibrillators and emergency medicines for students who might need them, such as EpiPens for students who are allergic to bee stings.
Schools and other educational organizations can learn more about the nonprofit at: gapfillersflathead.org