2024 Grab The Tab Winners Announced

National Food Group awards three US schools lunch debt relief for overdue meal balances

Media Contact:
Terra Leach, Communications Specialist
248-560-2413 | tleach@nationalfoodgroup.com

Program Contact:
Samantha Bourque, Corporate Social Responsibility Director
248-560-2398 | sbourque@nationalfoodgroup.com

NATIONAL FOOD GROUP ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS FOR GRAB THE TAB SCHOOL LUNCH DEBT CONTEST
Michigan-based food distributor awards three US schools lunch debt relief for overdue meal balances

NOVI, MI, April 10, 2024 - National Food Group, a leading food distributor for K-12 schools nationwide, announced today the recipients of its Grab The Tab grant program. Launched in 2023, this school lunch debt relief grant program helps schools with overdue meal balances. Applications from 34 states totaled nearly $1.6 million, highlighting the continuing need for help feeding students nationwide.

The following schools will have their school meal tab paid based on their application data and will receive a $5,000 credit toward the purchase of Zee Zees® products for their cafeterias; total financial and product awards are valued at nearly $50,000:

“Every single application caught our attention and displayed such a great need across the country,” shared Samantha Bourque, Corporate Social Responsibility Director for National Food Group. “Many students rely on schools as their primary source for meals, and we applaud the cafeteria heroes who are trying to balance their budgets with students’ needs every day. While we are encouraged by the direction many states are headed in providing free meals to students, we are again thrilled to ‘Grab The Tab’ for these three communities.”

According to the Education Data Initiative, the national public school meal debt is approximately $262 million annually. Nine states have introduced programs within the last two years that make school breakfast and lunches universally free, but sixty-eight percent of schools recently surveyed currently have unpaid school debt.

Grab The Tab is a program of Project SERVE, National Food Group’s corporate social responsibility platform initiative.

ABOUT PROJECT SERVE
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. It also provides opportunities and resources for individuals seeking a career in the food industry while supporting our global environment.

ABOUT NATIONAL FOOD GROUP
Founded in 1990, National Food Group is one of America's fastest-growing wholesale foodservice manufacturers and distributors. National Food Group's family of brands includes Zee Zees^® better-for-you snacks for kids of all ages, Elated Plates^®, innovative food items ensuring a supreme sense of satisfaction with every bite, and Fare Promise^® for truly square and deliciously nutritious meals at remarkably low prices. National Food Group offers three core programs to help make budgets and planning easy: Always Available^®, Opportunity Buys^®, and Commodity Processing™. Our food experts can also develop original items to meet custom nutritional and pricing requirements. The company is headquartered in Novi, Michigan. For more information, visit nationalfoodgroup.com.

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