No child goes hungry in KSD

KELLOGG — “It’s simple. No child should ever go hungry,” said Billie Jolliff.

Jolliff, a Silver Valley local with two granddaughters who live with her and attend the Kellogg School District, started the No Child Goes Hungry fundraiser after her 13-year-old granddaughter called her in a panic.

“Grandma, I can’t get lunch because I don’t have a number.”

Jolliff calmed her granddaughter, did a little digging, and discovered that all students no longer receive free lunches and instead have an account.

Last year in the Kellogg School District, all students received free breakfast and lunch under the United States Department of Agriculture’s Seamless Summer Option. The program wrapped up at the end of the previous school year — so at the start of this year, every student had an account number, with a balance of the allotted money paid by their parents.

Students can still qualify for free and reduced lunches after their parents have completed the appropriate paperwork.

“Schools do their best to feed everybody, using grants or other resources,” Jolliff said. “But there are cracks in the system. And these kids are falling through the cracks.”

The crack that Jolliff spotted was that students who didn’t have enough money in their accounts could end up with a negative balance.

“This is no fault of the school or any fault of the student. They just shouldn’t have to go through the line and worry about if they have built up a negative balance or if they have the money or not. That breaks my heart.”

Jolliff began by calling the different schools in the Kellogg School District, eventually finding out the exact number of the negative balance.

“It was staggering.”

She then began reaching out to the community and local business owners, with many offering their support, and after a month of starting, the fund has reached a balance of around $5,000.

“That’s really going to feed a lot of kids.”

Eventually, Jolliff wants to bring her fundraiser to the Wallace School District but wants to wait until she can see the numbers and progress for Kellogg.

Parents and students can find the Free and Reduced Lunches form on the school district website at kelloggschools.org under the Food Services tab.

“The whole Valley has its ups and downs, and it’s up to the community to step up and help out.”

Jolliff started a Facebook page, providing updates and giving individual thanks to those who have donated. You can find the page on Facebook by searching "No Child Goes Hungry."

Donations can be deposited to US Bank in the “No Child Goes Hungry” account.

For more information, call or email Billie Jolliff at 208-661-8708 and billiejolliff@yahoo.com.

“The kids are our future,” Jolliff said. “And they deserve to have a hot meal.”